Every year, more and more individuals attempt to make New Year’s resolutions and fail due to a lack of discipline or drive to complete the desired goal. Forbes Health has stated that New Year’s resolutions typically fail within the first three to four months of setting the new habit. 

However, with the new surge of healthy habits such as skincare and fitness surging on social media, vision boards have been a popular new trend for people to envision their intentions for the future. 

Vision boards use two psychological concepts to subconsciously make decisions based on one’s goals.

The RAS (Reticular Activating System) prioritizes recurring information and subconsciously makes someone aware of choices and decisions better suited for their goal. The self-efficiency theory makes people feel more inclined to complete a goal when being exposed to visually depicted goals. 

Reese Elliott (11) has already made a vision board this year and encourages others to also create one. 

Reese exclaims how “personally, it helps [her]  a lot. [She thinks]  it could help someone who sets goals but struggles to catch up or meet those goals throughout the year.” 

So, how does one make a vision board? Vision boards can easily be made using resources online or in person such as magazines, stickers, or encouraging messages. Common goals for high school students include being fitter, saving money, and getting better grades. 

When Nolen Frost (9) was asked what he would put on his vision board, he would “put a report card, running shoes, and a track” on his board. These images and items would encourage his goal of being fitter and reaching assignment deadlines. 

The goals put on the vision boards also do not need to be enacted immediately; most goals will take even longer than the upcoming year. The vision board, however, can reflect the time taken to complete these goals and make completing them feel even better. 

Krinebrionna Webb (12) mentioned how “if someone was trying to not do something, having the number of days since it has been done would be motivational to not do that thing.”

Students can agree vision boards are the new upcoming trend that improves one’s self. 

Jacobie Stubbs commented how vision boards “can make you more organized and more focused on [one’s] plans and goals for the year.”

Every year is a new year with a new set of goals and aspirations in mind. Vision boards are only the starting point of a life full of daring aspirations and fulfilled dreams.