Seeing is believing, right?
In many instances, the answer is a resounding “yes.” In fact, “seeing” your financial goals via strong and captivating imagery is a good start on the road to believing you can solve your money woes and reach your financial aspirations, whatever they might be. This is where a money vision board – or more specifically, a financial vision board – can make a huge difference. It’s a tool that allows you to sustain your motivation by channeling your creativity and visually committing to your money goals as part of your journey toward financial freedom.
Your finance vision board can be constructed any way you like, using materials that most strike your fancy or best serve your purpose. What’s important is the vision board be displayed in a prominent spot in your home which affords easy daily viewing. Also, the images, which should be bold, pleasing to the eye and specific, must work to capture your attention and refocus your efforts toward reaching your savings goals whenever you see it.
Why does it work? I have a few theories, but research around setting smart goals and the best way to achieve them suggests people are far more likely to reach those goals when they write them down rather than just keeping their financial dreams pent up in their heads. Imagine then how much more likely you are to be successful when you not only put your goals down on paper but illustrate them in a beautiful, image-driven way that you see each and every day. That’s the beauty of a debt free vision board for enhancing your financial strategy—it keeps your dream of living debt free at the forefront of your mind.
If you’re sold on the idea, here are a few steps to follow to ensure your board is the best one for your financial planning needs and goal setting process.
1. Set specific, manageable and reachable goals.
Before you start collecting all your inspiring imagery, it’s important you are crystal clear about what you want to achieve. You might want to finally put together – and follow – a budget with well-defined budget categories. Maybe you’re interested in debt relief and are aiming to create a debt payoff plan to eliminate a set amount each month. Perhaps a summer vacation is on your mind as one of your savings goals, or you’re looking to start a side hustle for extra income. Then again, maybe it’s all of these things or a completely different set of financial aspirations.
Whatever you may want to accomplish, you need to first identify it as part of your overall financial strategy. If your main goal is to become debt free, make that the centerpiece of your debt free vision board, surrounding it with imagery that reminds you of what financial freedom will look and feel like. Don’t forget to include other important money goals like building an emergency fund or opening a high-yield savings account.
2. Gather your materials.
Here’s the fun part. A good vision board for financial goals can be created on poster board or any other large paper-style product you can decorate and hang. The imagery should represent your financial goals as you’ve laid them out. Gather up pictures from magazines, print out relevant art from the Internet or even inspirational and motivational sayings wherever you find them.
You can even make your own images using paint, markers, stencils or any other necessary craft supply. Here’s where it pays to get creative and create a financial vision board that is beautiful yet effectively represents where you want to land when it comes to money management and financial independence. Consider including images that represent your investment strategy or passive income dreams to diversify your financial aspirations.
3. Pick your sweet spot.
Decide where you’ll display your board, ideally a spot you see often throughout your day. This could be above your desk where you sit to organize and pay bills. It could be hung in front of home exercise equipment so you can focus on your board and financial milestones while you exercise. The vision board could find a spot on the refrigerator or taped to your closet doors.
You might also consider making a miniature version of the board to grace the cover of your daily planner or financial binder. That way, your money vision board or debt free vision board can move with you, constantly reminding you of your stated aims and reinforcing your financial discipline.
4. Expand.
For each goal visually represented on your board, take time to expand on each one, detailing how you plan to achieve each goal, why it’s important to do so and a deadline for when you hope to see it happen. These details can be collected together on a piece of paper you can tack onto your vision board, keep tucked into your planner or stored in a desk drawer or your nightstand.
This process contributes to your overall financial education and helps solidify your path to financial security — a key part of what your financial vision board is meant to inspire. Consider including a savings plan for each of your major financial objectives to make your goals more actionable.
5. Give it time.
Patience is a virtue and you’ll need to be virtuous when it comes to your vision board. The point of seeing the board several times a day is to force your brain to envision all the money-management and financial successes you want for yourself. Seeing the board day in and day out will help you keep laser focused on your stated path towards financial abundance and a debt-free lifestyle.
6. Change it up if you need to.
If you find certain imagery or inspirational quotes just aren’t working for you, feel free to do some tweaking. Or better yet, once you reach certain financial milestones outlined on your vision board, take that opportunity to celebrate visually with congratulatory pictures or even a new image to represent new financial aspirations. This is also a good time to reassess your money goals and adjust your goal setting process if needed.
Remember, a debt free vision board is a fun and creative way to keep you motivated as you travel the sometimes bumpy road to financial health and wealth building. The board is unique to you so there’s no pressure to make it perfect, and there’s certainly no shame in changing what isn’t working for you.
Your finance vision board serves as a daily reminder of your financial dreams and can be a powerful tool in achieving financial success. It can help you stay on track with your savings plan, remind you of your investment strategy, and keep you motivated to stick to your budget.
And if you need help making your financial vision a reality, you can always reach out to a financial advisor or the team at DebtGuru.com for additional support in your journey toward financial independence.