How to Create a Vision Board That Actually Works: Lessons from Our New Year Workshop

By Emily Farthing & Siena Rampulla, Au Pair in America

A new year brings with it a surge of potential energy, the feeling that this time, things really can be different. But potential without a plan fades fast. That's exactly why we hosted our annual Vision Board Workshop: to help you move beyond wishful thinking and actually map out the next 12 months of your life.

Whether you're living as an au pair, navigating a big move, or simply ready to make this your best year yet, here's everything we covered so you can do this practice on your own, any time.

Before You Build Your Board, Look Back

One of the biggest mistakes people make with vision boards is jumping straight to the future without learning from the past. Before you open Pinterest or fire up Canva, take a few minutes to reflect on your last year.

Grab a journal and your phone, scroll back through your photos from the past year, and let the memories wash over you. Then answer these four questions:

1. What were my biggest successes last year? Remember, success doesn't have to be a tangible achievement. Finding your people, feeling calm, or simply making it through a hard season counts just as much as any goal you checked off a list.

2. What was my biggest challenge?

3. What did I learn from that challenge? Often, we push through hard things on autopilot. But looking back, you realize how much stronger you are on the other side of the mountain.

4. In what ways do I feel more like myself? This one is quiet and cozy, but important. How did you become more authentically you last year?

As Siena shared from her own experience living in France: moving abroad helped her let go of "hustle culture" and reconnect with the parts of herself that exist beyond work. You can grow into yourself in ways you never expected.

A Free Write: What Are You Carrying Into the New Year?

After reflecting on the past, take a few more minutes for a free write. Don't overthink it, just put pen to paper and respond to these prompts:

• What are you taking with you into the new year? Maybe it's an attitude, a habit, or a project you've been nurturing.

• What are you most proud of?

• What are you releasing? What does not need to come with you?

• What is your "photo of the year"? If you had to pick one image from the past year that captures everything, the feeling, the growth, the moment, what would it be?

Where Are You in Your Life's Cycle?

Emily introduced a powerful framework called the Cycle Wheel, which describes the four phases we move through in life, sometimes across our whole experience, sometimes just in one area (relationships, career, self-love):

• Unrest: A feeling of real discomfort that signals something needs to change. Discomfort is the catalyst.

• Destruction: The phase of change itself. You're leaving relationships, moving cities, burning down old patterns. It can be chaotic, but it's necessary.

• Growth: After the burning, new seeds get planted. Things start to take shape.

• Mastery: Everything feels like it's clicking into place.

Take a moment to ask yourself: Which phase was I in last year? Which phase am I entering now?

Understanding where you are in the cycle helps you set goals that are actually in alignment with where your life is going, rather than forcing the wrong season.

Planning the Year Ahead: Themes, Goals, and Quarters

Now comes the forward-looking part.

Step 1: Choose a Feeling Word (or a Few)

Before you write down a single goal, ask yourself: How do I want to feel in the new year? Let the words come instinctively. Words like spacious, energized, loved, or free can anchor everything else you plan. Write them down, and let yourself actually feel them in your body. You deserve those feelings this year.

Step 2: Set 5 Goals

From those feeling words, identify 5 specific goals for the year. They can be emotional (I want to experience more connection) or concrete (I want to travel to Paris, sign up for a dance class, or pay off my debt). A mix of both is great.

Step 3: Find Your Year's Theme

Look at your goals and ask: what do they have in common? What's the through-line? Emily's theme for this year is alignment, making decisions that are in sync with who she truly is and what she actually wants. Siena is focused on self-discovery. Your theme might be adventure, rest, growth, or something entirely your own.

Not sure if a decision aligns with your theme? Here's a tip Emily shared: stand up straight, ask yourself the question, and notice whether your body leans forward (a yes) or backward (a no). Your body already knows.

Step 4: Map Your Goals to Four Quarters

Break the year into quarters and distribute your goals across them so your intentions have a real home in time:

• Q1: January – March

• Q2: April – June

• Q3: July – September

• Q4: October – December

Place at least two of your five goals in each quarter. For example, if paying off debt is a goal, Q1 might be when you make a budget. If you're planning a big trip, that goes in the quarter you'll actually take it. This gives your vision board real structure, not just beautiful images, but a timeline.

Now, Build Your Vision Board

With your goals clear and your year mapped out, it's time to create your board. We recommend going digital so you can make it your phone wallpaper and look at it every day.

Step 1: Gather Images on Pinterest Search each of your 5 goals on Pinterest. If one of your goals is to travel to Paris, search "travel to Paris" and save or screenshot the images that resonate most.

Step 2: Design in Canva Open Canva and select the Instagram Story template, which is the same dimensions as your phone screen. Search "vision board" or "mood board" in the templates section for ready-made layouts. Upload your saved images, fill in the spaces, and customize it until it feels right.

Step 3: Save It as Your Wallpaper Export your design as a JPEG or PNG, transfer it to your phone, and set it as your lock screen. Now your vision board goes everywhere you go.

Make It a Practice, Not a One-Time Event

The magic of a vision board isn't just in making it, it's in returning to it. Emily shared a practice she's used for the past two years: each night before bed, she focuses on one image on her vision board. She envisions herself in that moment, meditates on that feeling for a minute, and then goes to sleep.

It might sound small, but the results can be surprising. She shared a story about an image she'd had on her board for years, a woman in a white suit on a boat that never seemed to "integrate." Eventually, she realized she had an old belief that she was too messy or careless to own white clothes. Sitting with that one image surfaced a belief she didn't even know she held. She bought a white suit. She did the shoot. It changed things.

That's what an intentional vision board can do: not just remind you of your goals, but help you understand what's standing between you and them.

Your Best Year Starts Now

You don't need to have it all figured out today. The point of this practice is to create a living intention, something you can return to, refine, and grow with all year long. Put on some music, light a candle, and give yourself the gift of actually planning the life you want.

We're rooting for you. Happy New Year! 🎉

This post is based on our live Vision Board Workshop hosted by Emily Farthing and Siena Rampulla of Au Pair in America.