Hi there, I’m Maia, the creator of Vision Board Kits by Maia. I’d like to share my story on how I became a vision board expert.
Several years ago, I moved to a new country with nothing but a suitcase full of hope. I was ambitious and excited to start a new life. As expected, adapting to a new culture wasn’t easy. The biggest surprise was that the dreams I had before moving completely changed as I discovered a new way of life and realized the country had so much more to offer than I had ever expected.
That was exciting at first, but then I realized I needed to change a lot about myself and the way I approached life if I wanted to succeed.
How I discovered vision boards
I didn’t know anything about visualization or vision boards at the time. I did, however, have a general interest in personal development, especially when it came to advancing my career. Moving to a new country gave me the opportunity to grow professionally and pursue career paths that simply didn’t exist in my home country.
I first discovered visualization after going through a traumatic layoff. Although I was disappointed, I chose to see this unexpected setback as an opportunity to pivot into a slightly different field that offered better pay. I knew I deserved a higher job title and better compensation.
At the time, I was quite shy and wasn’t used to pushing back when recruiters questioned whether my experience was strong enough for the role or the salary I was asking for. It was frustrating because a voice inside me kept whispering, “You deserve more.” Yet every time I spoke with recruiters, I found myself settling for lower compensation. I found it difficult to stand up for myself.
That’s when I started looking for simple methods to help me stay motivated and achieve my goal. I discovered three visualization techniques: mental rehearsal, visual journaling, and vision boards. The first two seemed a bit too complicated, so I decided to create my first vision board instead. It was small and very simple – a piece of paper with my desired salary written on it and an image of a woman celebrating.
After a few weeks of looking at my board every day, especially before interviews, I became more confident and finally started advocating for what I wanted. Some recruiters still questioned my role and salary expectations, but a few listened and put me forward for positions that were a good fit.
It didn’t take long. Just two months after creating my first vision board—and three months into my job search – I landed the job I had been hoping for. My total compensation was 25% higher than in my previous role, although it was still slightly below the number I had written on my board. That small difference didn’t bother me because, overall, it was a significant step forward, and I was genuinely happy.
I researched the science behind vision boards
After landing the job I wanted and earning a much higher salary, I started researching vision boards. To be honest, when I first began using my board, I wasn’t completely convinced it would help. Even after getting the job I wanted, I still wondered whether looking at those two images had really made a difference or if it was simply my determination to succeed.
I think many people wonder whether visualization is just wishful thinking. How can looking at a few pictures help you achieve ambitious goals or “manifest” something?
I have to admit that I struggled with the word manifest myself. It sounded like some kind of magical way to make things happen. How does it actually work? That question stayed with me for a long time.
I did some research to see if vision boards and visualization actually work, or if it’s just hype. It turns out there’s real neuroscience behind it – specifically how it shapes attention and brain plasticity. When you use a vision board, you’re engaging your brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) – the network responsible for selective focus and spotting opportunities. While the RAS handles your focus, neuroscience shows that mental imagery trains your brain in real-time. Famous research – like the Cleveland Clinic (Yue & Ranganathan, 2004) and Stephen Kosslyn’s study on functional equivalence in mental imagery at Harvard – proves that visualizing an action activates almost the exact same neural pathways as actually doing it.
The general idea is that looking at images with your goals and dreams on them rewires the brain to keep you focused and motivating on achieving them. It directs your attention predominantly to anything that can help you with this, including opportunities you might not have otherwise notice. If you want to find out more, you can read my article on how vision boards rewire the brain. Alternatively, you can explore my guide on what vision boards are and how they work.
Overcoming Subconscious Limiting Beliefs
Later, I discovered that the subconscious mind also plays a crucial role in achieving – or manifesting – your dreams and goals. I realized this three years later when I changed jobs again. This time, I received the exact compensation I had written on my board.
Looking back, I realized that missing my exact salary target on my first vision board wasn’t a coincidence. It was driven by subconscious limiting beliefs that quietly whispered I wasn’t quite ready for the full amount. That realization led me to dive deeper into the psychology behind how our hidden doubts can hold us back.
As I continued my research, particularly into the work of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, I came to understand that the limiting beliefs stored in our subconscious mind can play a significant role in manifestation. They can delay the process, lead to outcomes that are slightly different from what we envisioned – like earning a salary just below the one on my vision board – or even prevent us from reaching our goals altogether.
No matter how many inspiring images or affirmations you include on your board, the beliefs stored in your subconscious mind also need to be addressed. There are many ways to do this, including visualization – but in a different way. Instead of using images or words that reinforce your limiting beliefs, you intentionally choose pictures and affirmations that represent the exact opposite.
Over time, this helps rewire your brain to challenge those doubts and replace them with more empowering beliefs. As your mindset shifts, you’ll likely notice changes in your behavior as well – you become more focused, more confident, and more willing to take consistent action toward your goals.
I recommend you read the full story on how I significantly increased my income using a vision board.
The success I experienced in achieving my career and financial goals inspired me to start talking to my friends about vision boards. Most of them had never even heard of vision boards and were quite skeptical. Some never gave visualization a try, even after hearing about my experience. I guess it simply wasn’t a method that clicked with them.
The few acquaintances and friends who showed interest began using small, simple boards from time to time – some to achieve quick wins, others for more ambitious career goals. What started as helping a few interested friends quickly turned into a hands-on testing ground.
As I guided dozens of people with completely different personalities, career goals, and mindsets, I began noticing clear patterns in what actually worked versus what got ignored.
Studying those real-world results across so many different people is how I moved beyond trial-and-error and truly mastered the craft. That vast hands-on experience is what officially turned me into a vision board expert.
What I learned and how I became a vision board expert
As you can imagine, I continued using vision boards after landing both my first and second dream jobs. At first, I used them for goals that felt a little more achievable, such as adopting a healthier lifestyle, becoming more confident in work meetings, and even manifesting my dream vacation to Aruba.
But I also had success with more challenging goals, including manifesting my best friend. Believe it or not, finding a truly close friend after moving to a new country was one of the hardest things I experienced, so I created a special vision board to help make it happen.
What truly helped me become a vision board expert, however, was guiding and helping other people create their own vision boards.
Through that experience, I discovered that different people respond to different approaches. Some connect best with images alone, while others benefit more from combining images with words and affirmations.
I also noticed that some people are more inspired by vibrant colors, while others respond better to softer, pastel tones. For some, a simple vision board is incredibly effective, whereas others achieve better results with a more detailed and structured one.
The question I was asked most often was, “How can I manifest faster?” My answer was always the same: manifestation is a complex process. It requires understanding how to build an effective vision board – not just placing a few images and affirmations on a board and hoping for the best.
Helping so many people create effective vision boards made me realize that there are specific principles behind boards that truly work. It also showed me the most common mistakes people make when creating and using them.
Vision Boards That Truly Work
Combining my personal results, extensive neuroscientific research, and hands-on experience helping others achieve goals, I realized I had developed true expertise in this space.
That realization inspired me to create Vision Board Kits by Maia. I developed an exclusive 3-step framework, backed by science and real-life experience, for building effective vision boards. This is the result of all of my years of practice and experimentations.
My kits also include carefully curated images for all the major areas of life, affirmations, an I Am section, a dedicated section for overcoming doubts and limiting beliefs, and much more.
The guidance included in my kits helps you create any type of vision board for any area of your life. It’s designed to help you pursue your biggest, most ambitious goals – the ones you’ve always wondered if you could really achieve.
Ready to stop guessing and build a vision board that actually works?
You can also find out more on Vision Board Kits by Maia LinkedIn Page.
