How to Create Vision Board Manifest Dream Life and Goal Set 2026

Hi, I'm Zaakirah, and I am the host of the See Life Different podcast. This podcast is perfect for you if you are a Black, Indigenous, woman of color ready to step outside of your comfort zone. This podcast will inspire you, empower you, and educate you on how to see life differently, whether it's in your business or in your personal life. I am a cancer survivor, brand cultivating strategist, author, and world traveler. Let's get into it. It's the most wonderful time of the year, the time where we're often slowing down, reflecting, and ready to get ready for the new year. Today we're talking about how you can set your goals more intentionally, more authentically, And to shift your mindset to make sure it's more positively that you can receive the manifestation and goal that you set with your own vision board and/or vision guide. My name is Zaakirah Muhammad of See Life Different Media, and I am a childhood eye cancer survivor, a brand strategist, disability consultant, and some people call me their brand therapist. I also have been online for the last 10+ years. I've also been ensuring that we see life differently, both literally and figuratively. With me being a childhood eye cancer survivor, that means I only see you in one eye. The right eye is the prosthetic eye, which is the only eye I cannot see you in. However, that has not stopped me from manifesting almost anything. Not only is it because I do follow Human Design and I actually do have Manifestor in my Human Design, I feel like I've had an advantage to being a part of a blended family where I'm the only one that was living in the household. I had to live up to my own imaginations and listen to myself a lot more. So today we're going to talk about those things and how you can make your own vision board, the concept of it, especially if you've been having a negative connotation towards it, how to use it to set your meaningful goals, both personal and professional, and the steps to that. So you'll be subscribed to my email list where you can get a free guide that can make sure that you have the word of the year, 3 to 5 goals, and 3 to 5 words. Setting your vision board goals and manifestations. We will cover what a vision board is, the concept of why it matters, and how you can set meaningful goals. The role of it and why mindset plays a huge part in your goal setting, and a practical step for you to create your own vision board and plan. So about me, I am a brand strategist, disability business and marketing strategist and consultant, productivity. I've been online longer than a lot of us who have been online, so I'm familiar with all of the changes and all of the tech tools, and I can advise you on the tech tools that are best for you in order to make it easy for you to run your businesses as well as set the goals both personally and professionally. There's going to be a little bit of artificial intelligence advising in here. Why am I qualified to talk about this? Although I don't talk about it often, through every strategy session that I make sure to have with my clients, I've also been making sure that they set their goals. I've been vision boarding publicly since 2018. With me being the only one out of a blended family between my mom and dad, I had a lot of time to just be creative and be in tune to my intuition. So I Also have a few examples of some transformative manifestation moments that happened. I'm also most recently a TEDx speaker. The difference between TED and TEDx is TED is the main one that's always in Canada. They just had one in Atlanta, but TEDx means every chapter can create their own version and follow the same framework. So I was living in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the time, saw the application was open. And by March of 2024, I was stepping inside that red circle. However, if you rewind, probably 10 years prior to that, actually seeing some of my favorite entrepreneurs also getting the opportunity to step onto the TEDx stages, I would watch those videos and watch their marketing processes with admiration, not the feeling of envy. If you pay close attention to how you're feeling when you're thinking about these goals, where you see someone achieve a goal that you have wanted to achieve. Make sure that you are getting rid of any jealous or envious feeling, cuz otherwise it's not gonna come true for you. And I wouldn't say at all, but definitely not in a timeframe that you've expected. I also just completed a year in Kenya that, that started November 2024, but if you rewind back, it actually officially started in 2012. I remember clearly I was in photography school. and we had an assignment to do some location scouting for a wedding segment that we had. And I came across an amazing blog post of a destination photographer that went to an island in Kenya. And I remember saying out loud, probably under my breath, but I said it out loud. I said, I will go to Kenya one day. I also got to go to the first Essence Music Festival that was in South Africa in 2016. So that happened in November of 2016. However, I found out about it maybe in one of the previous Essence magazines. I'm not sure which month it was, but definitely in the year 2015. I cut out that advertisement and I pasted it on my bedroom wall. So I'd start— it was the first thing I saw in the morning, probably before I even looked at my phone. And it was January 16th. I also started to take small actions. Google Flights was just starting as well. So adding my email to Google Flights for when flights prices are a little low and joining other groups of other Woman Traveler, because I knew I'd be going solo. By January, January 2016, I was able to book that flight. I've always been a photographer for events, for music artists, and I love going to concerts. Even though I am hard of hearing and I wear a hearing aid as a result of the radiation treatment for my eye cancer that I got when I was a child, music was always the healing factor. Feeling the beat. It's super amazing. I've been to concerts since then, but not as many. I remember the concert that I went to. I was living in the DC area, and this was when Justin Timberlake's 20/20 album was out, and I was able to get that ticket, went by myself, and I was so inspired by that concert. I'm a millennial girl, so I grew up with the boy band. I was always a fan. He wasn't my favorite. If we're taking picks right now, he was not my favorite. But anyways, at the end of the concert, I remember saying out loud, and everybody's screaming and singing Singing at the top of their lungs, so nobody heard me, but I heard me. And I said to myself, this will be the last concert I attend for fun. The next one I will be photographing. And in September 2014, I had moved back home. My family roots are from Atlanta, Georgia, and the East Tennessee area. So I had an opportunity to network. I was already networking with other photographers, specifically other female photographers, because it's— It's a lot easier to make that niche amongst women because unfortunately back then men were doing a lot more gatekeeping. So I was able to connect with a photographer who was with a network who already had press going to that music festival. And because I was with this specific network, I was one of only 4, maybe 5 photographers allowed to photograph the rapper Eminem. Which is a huge deal, especially if you got to watch his Stan documentary that he just put out. I believe it's on Paramount. You'll understand why that was super important. So things like that of, I've already been writing, I've already been writing down anything, having magazine clippings, or saying it out loud and talking positively. When I say it, I don't say it with a question mark. I say it with a statement, right? Sometimes we will say our goal, we will say it with a question mark. So fast forward to 2018, my first in-person vision board party. It's again, amazing to be around like-minded women to be able to set goals as well. And so that's when I realized, okay, this is a thing that it shouldn't just be me, like just having my own magazine clipping and clipping words and stuff like that. It can actually be an experience. You probably maybe go into one yourself, already have been to one, thinking about going to one, and it's really just a vibe. It's a reason for having having this in-person experience of like-minded individuals where you can create your goals and put them into writing. Oh, you're one of those, you're like, I don't like vision boarding, it's a waste of time. But try to think of it differently. You were given a certain vision, but think of it as a way to visualize the vision that was brought to you. Think of it as a way to have a different presentation, use a different sense, write it down, see it somewhere, speak it out. It's just a way to make sure that it's articulated. Not just one and done, because that's also the thing you have to keep in mind when it comes to these big, major, scary goals that you fulfill. Baby steps are going to happen over and over. Why do we use vision boards or set visions? It's a reference to make sure that you have the reminder when to go and get stuff. Sometimes we forget that we wanted to start that business, we wanted to write that book, we wanted to launch that podcast, we wanted to quit that job. So the things that are continually tugging at your heartstrings, the same way you can imagine a little kid pulling your outfit, it's going to tug on your heartstrings until you do something about it. And it's in any category of life, whether it's your material or non-materialistic success, whether you already have children or want children, whether you have family goals, family travels, or other kind of international travels, or other kind of career goals. I always recommend doing it by these different categories. Make sure you have it for each category. Do not think that in one session it has to be complete, because remember that you're growing, you're always changing. The road to get there is always going to change, but you're always going to have reminders and little signs everywhere. Start with the word of the year. I worked a little bit more on my little vision board before having this session so I can be up to date on what my own goals are. And my word of the year is abundance. The word of the year for me is abundance. And if you need help thinking about other words, stability and discipline. I've used those words in the previous years. Keep in mind that you already have the tool that you need to succeed. You just gotta get it out of your head onto a piece of paper, onto any one of your artificial intelligence apps. Keep it in a secure folder on your computer, in your office space, or keep a physical board in a secure space as well. Now you can also use Canva to make it. That's what I have recently. been able to do. Pinterest, any of these social media apps that have these little collection folders work as well. For example, one of my other goals is to get back into the film industry. And so I have a whole collection on Instagram. Ironically enough, the algorithm will be in your favor in that manner of hearing you and showing you all the posts relevant to what you said. So I declared out loud, probably was sitting talking to my friend and saying, I'm ready to get back into the film industry, get my documentary out there. And lo and behold, my Instagram feed is now showing all the film festivals, all the nonprofits relevant to films. And I even, in a timely manner, was able to catch a webinar that was super informational in relation to what I need to be doing. Those moments of inspiration and signs, they're everywhere, but you have to pay attention to them and be able to sit still enough to listen. What do you place on this vision board or this Canva document? Start with your word of the year. Write out what that word of the year is going to be first, especially if you have no idea what the word of the year is going to be and you don't know where to start if you're not going to ask any one of your artificial intelligence apps to get a sense of what word you should focus on. And also think about the things that make you happy. What are those things that you really enjoy doing about those different aspects of your life? The definition of success for me is not always monetary, but If it's monetary, then success means that I know that if I was able to help someone else the same way that some people were able to help me, that's success to me. Because I also have a medical condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome, I've always had a vision of having children. But if I can't have children on my own, I've always envisioned adopting or continuing to spend more time around orphans. I come from a blended family, so making my own family— there's a quote where they also say that your family is not just the blood and the DNA that you share, but sometimes it's the family that you make. Strengthening that relationship is also one of my goals. Travel, I've been blessed to go to over 7 African countries, but I don't wanna stop there. I want to go to 30 altogether. So continuing to figure out how to travel. And career, I did say that I wanna get back into the film industry, so I'm going to be focusing more on that side of the career. The things pertaining to your goals, be specific like the examples I gave you. Magazine clippings, if you still look at physical magazines. Now we can screenshot almost everything now, so if you look at digital magazines, And find something that inspires you, or screenshot from any of your Instagram, Canva, any of your social media posts. Save those posts in the collection. I have always also wanted a house of my own. I downloaded and screenshotted pictures from real estate websites of different aspects of the floor plan. And probably another manifestation that's going to come at some point, because I feel very close to it. I've had this vision since I was a child of it's open. Floor plan of a house. And when I was in Kenya, I saw many different iterations of that, that dream house. But again, you wouldn't really know what dream house you actually want to build or even live in if you haven't written down a word, or if you do draw in that manner, or you can use artificial intelligence to make it for you, or go old school and talk to an architectural connection to make it for you. You have to see it so that you recognize it when it arrives. Same thing for your future spouse, partner, future relationship. You have to write it down in order to be able to recognize it when it arrives. And then put it in a safe place. I remember attending a conference where we were to write a letter to ourselves in the future and set a calendar reminder to open that letter. Those were also very helpful things. And even though I may not have achieved those goals at the time of reading the letter, it was reminders of, oh, like the things that happened for me in life, not to me, but the things that happened for me in life were actually taking me right there to those goals that I wrote down a year ago. Speaking of goals, we gotta get SMART. We gotta get SMART. And SMART usually means being specific, being measurable, being attainable, being realistic slash relevant, and being timely. So be specific. I want to make a documentary series on others that are also marginalized, and I want to make sure that I can interview at maximum 10 people so that I can have a 7-episode docuseries. And I want to be able to do that by the time— in a time frame where I can travel to each city that I either lived in Where the most well-known hospitals are, where the most famous people, the people that I want to interview are, and I need to be able to do this in time for film festival submission season. And timely also to me means in a timely manner. Sure, you can say, I want to do this within 4 months, I want to do this within 12 months, though even if it doesn't get fulfilled in that specific time, I took the long way to really learn that I don't have to beat myself up about it. So just get specific, make it something that you can actually measure, make it attainable, right? Don't just say you want to be a millionaire, but you don't know that you need a certain number of dollars a month and what kind of services or the 7 different streams of income you're actually going to have in order to become a millionaire by the next tax year, right? So think of it like that when you're setting your SMART goals. The 3 Ps. No matter what form of prayer you do, definitely pray. Be persistent and be patient. But you also have to have that confidence. You have to say it with a period. Period. Okay, don't say it with a question mark. And be ready to receive it, because sometimes what happens is it can be right there in front of us, the person that is that doorway to receiving it, and then we don't We're not open, we're not listening, we're not paying attention. There's a song from like 2018 that I still have on my playlist. It didn't make my Spotify Wrapped this year, but it is still on my playlist, and it's called Meant to Be by Florida Georgia Line. And if it's meant to be, it'll be, right? That's part of the lyrics, and that's what you have to tell yourself over and over again. You got to be grateful for the things, the little bitty things, the small steps that you are getting. Towards that specific goal that you set. If you're not even grateful for the fact that the algorithm was able to show you these things, show you this person, show you this video, show you this podcast episode, then yeah, you're skipping a step. And continue to make sure you're feeding yourself in the thing that you want. Make sure you're feeding yourself by the things that you look at, the things you should listen to, the things that you actually eat as well, especially if health is— nutrition is one of your goals. You can listen to my podcast, See Life Different Podcast, where I've had a handful of episodes of people who just talk about overcoming adversity, who talk about what it was like to set those goals and deal with that isolation. Sometimes we have to get really quiet and listen to what it is that we want, not what our family wants for us. So check out my podcast for a few episodes on How to get that if you need more steps to take to get there. If you are saying, but I have imposter syndrome, like I'm so afraid of failing, of losing, of being compared to, or I compare myself to you, I compare myself to everyone else. And what if I'm not good enough to receive those goals? Sometimes we do have to make this a little self-reflection session, therapy session. And clarity session to ask yourself, where did that come from? I know I have my feelings of survivor guilt because I have survived a childhood eye cancer where a lot of my peers did not prior to the age of technology where you can get tested before you're even born now. There's some certain environmental factors that as a result, my peer no longer is, and he or she has the same type of cancer that I have. I do have those moments, but also those are the same thing. I'm able to flip it to say, oh, actually, That's why I'm still alive, because I'm able to be the one to do something about it. So when should you start? Block off an hour, put it on your calendar, set a timer to block off an hour to focus on those goals. Go back to those 5 different categories, your 3 to 5 goals, your 3 to 5 words of the year, and the 3 to 5 things that make you happy. And if you already have one for the year, Go back and look at it. I went back into my Canva account and looked for my goal. I added a few more things for 2026. And then do some self-reflecting as well. Look back at your last year, right? What worked? What didn't work? Where you at with those goals? Remember, some of the goals will take a U-turn before you get back to the goal. It may look different than what you envisioned, but it's actually still the same goal. And what didn't work, right? And I will be honest, lately, because we've been through pandemic, we've been through political turmoil, I try not to think 5 years ahead of time. But if you are in the business aspect, you need to think 5 years ahead of time. I still tend to think at least 3 to 6 months ahead of time. And I think about what do I want to do that way? I plan quarters at a time, at least. So from the first quarter to second quarter to third quarter to fourth quarter. Now it's your turn. You can use your digital versions, you can use Pinterest, you can use Canva. And remember, I highly recommend writing it down because there's a quote by Erykah Badu that said, write it down and watch it become real. So there's a few takeaways to remind you of. The vision boarding basically is by any means necessary getting clarity on your goals, the goal that you need to take to be able to make that a regular habit in order for you to actually manifest and get those goals. And there's a huge difference between dreaming and planning and doing. You can write it down, you can put it in your Canva, but if you're not actually actively taking action and doing something about it, then That's probably why it'll feel like your goal don't come into fruition. And treat this as a starting point, not the end-all be-all. And make sure that you have the 3 to 5 goals and a word theme. And once you have all of this, you can upload it to your artificial intelligence app and it will give you the steps you need to take to execute. So just a reminder, I did have a 2018 vision board. I don't carry it around because it's a big old poster board, but I did have my 2018 vision board that I made from my vision board party that I attended. Words of affirmation is my love language, so if I'm telling myself these affirmations, then I will remember these things and I will see it come into fruition in the other women that I admire. And again, if you want to go old school and just go scrappy and scrapbook it, get some stickers, get Some pictures, go get some magazines, and just get some poster board and cut it out and listen to podcasts in the background. There's certain kinds of music, certain beats per minute that are helpful in these situations. 'Cause I know we have our different genres where you can listen to your favorite genre, but there's certain beats per minute, but there's certain beats per minute that will actually help you with the goal setting. So make sure you have that on in the background. And if you're like, okay, I'm gonna do all this, I'm gonna do it, but I need help, I need a reminder, I need a guide, make sure that you choose to work with me. Send me a DM on social media and I will happily make sure that you are fulfilling that dream that you said you want to fulfill, because I will ask you about it. And I will also ask you, if you don't sound clear or confident enough, I will also ask you to be more clear about it. Just know that I got you. And thank you for listening, and I will see you next time.