For many of us, the start of a new year is a time to think about the things we want to change – the goals we want to achieve and the negative people and things we want to leave behind. But unfortunately, somewhere between New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day, those same goals we worked so hard to set can get lost, leaving us filled with regret. That’s why so many people are holding themselves accountable, using vision boards as a visual reminder of all that they hope to accomplish.
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Although people have been making vision boards in some form or another for decades, the practice found mainstream popularity with the release of the bestselling 2006 self-help book “The Secret,” by Australian writer and producer Rhonda Byrne. The book, based on a documentary by the same name, teaches readers about the power of the Law of Attraction to make their dreams a reality.
Byrne writes that through positive thinking, we have the ability to create the life we want, manifesting everything from our dream job to our dream dress size.
In January 2007, Byrne and her book blew up when she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey connected to “The Secret” immediately, saying that she’s been trying to get the same message across to her fans for years.
“It is very true that the way you think creates reality for yourself,“ Winfrey told Larry King in an interview.
As “The Secret” found mainstream popularity, more and more people were inspired to cut and paste their life’s goals on vision boards. With the help of a few glue sticks, photographs of their dream vacation destinations and a few words of inspiration sprinkled in between, creators curate a collage of images that represents the life they hope to make for themselves in the new year – a practice that is still popular today.
And they’re not doing it alone. Social media has been flooded with videos of friends working on their vision boards together, inspiring each other and cheering each other on with good music, food and drinks to help set the mood.
“This isn’t a mood – it’s a plan. Dreaming out loud with women who get it,” TikToker @therealserib captioned a post from her vision board party.
Others, like TikToker @alexislachelle and her friends make time to celebrate the wins – big and small – they had in the previous year before moving on to tackle a new set of goals in 2026.
But some on social media, like TikToker @jocierw, warn that you should keep the reality you want to yourself, or at least between you and a very small group of friends you trust.
“I don’t feel like a whole lot of people need to be knowing about your vision,” she said. “The vision board is just for you. It doesn’t need to be broadcast…Some of the people that know about your vision could be the same people that try to do everything to not make your visions happen for you.”
Some, in the comments agreed.
“I make two vision boards for this exact reason lol,” wrote someone.
Whether you create your vision board alone or with a group of besties, we’re rooting for you to make all of your dreams come true in 2026.
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