Vision Boards vs Mind Movies | Which Gets Results?

Key Takeaways

• 1Your brain can't tell the difference between something you imagine and something that's real. A study found people gained muscle strength just by thinking about exercise.
• 2Your brain filters information and shows you more of what you tell it is important, like when you start seeing a specific car everywhere after you buy it.
• 3Vision boards can be slow because you get so used to seeing them that you stop noticing them.
• 4A mind movie works faster than a vision board because it uses movement and music to keep your brain interested.
• 5Don't just fill your movie with things you want. Build a story around the life you want to live.
• 6You can use free tools like Canva to make your mind movie. Add different sections for your life, home, health, and business.
• 7The best times to watch your mind movie are right when you wake up and just before you go to sleep.
• 8When you watch your movie, feel like the life you're seeing is already yours. Don't just wish for it.

Do you have a vision board that you've stopped looking at? Most people think vision boards don't do anything, especially when they start to feel like just a pretty poster on the wall. But there's a reason for that. And there's a way to make your vision for your life happen a lot faster.

Why picturing something in your head is a big deal

Have you ever wondered if picturing something in your head actually does anything? It can feel a little like daydreaming. But it turns out your brain doesn't see it that way. In fact, your brain has a really hard time telling the difference between what’s truly happening and what you’re just imagining.

Desi Batista talks about a wild study that shows just how true this is. A group of scientists at the Cleveland Clinic did an experiment. They had people think about working out just one muscle in their body. These people didn't actually go to the gym or do any exercises. They just sat still and pictured it all in their minds for 15 minutes a day. They kept this up for 12 weeks. You would think nothing would happen, right? But the results were pretty amazing.

"And their strength went up to 35%. And they never lifted a finger, they never lifted a muscle. This is a real study that was conducted." Desi

Imagine that. People got stronger just by thinking about it. This isn't some made-up idea you'd see on social media. It's a real scientific finding that shows how connected our thoughts are to our bodies. Your mind really doesn't separate an imagined event from a real one.

"As a matter of fact, your brain cannot distinguish the difference between a made-up reality and something that you're experiencing in real time." Desi

This is why some things can feel so real, even when they’re just memories. Think about a time you remembered something scary or upsetting. You might feel your heart start to race or your hands get sweaty, even though you are perfectly safe. That's your brain treating the memory like it’s happening all over again. The good news is that this works for positive things, too.

Another study with over 600 people confirmed it. When you can see something clearly in your mind, your brain feels like it actually happened.

"The more clearly you picture something, the more your brain treats it as something that actually happened." Desi

What you focus on in your mind is a really big deal. It’s not just wishful thinking. Your brain is a powerful tool, and it reacts to the images you feed it, whether they are real or not. It shows us that:

• Your brain has a tough time knowing what's real versus imagined.
• Just thinking about an action can cause a physical change in your body.
• The clearer the picture in your head, the more real it feels to your brain.
• This process works for both good and bad thoughts.

So, when you clearly picture something you want, you are giving your brain a rehearsal. It's like a practice run for the life you want to live. Your body and mind start to experience what that life feels like, which is the first step toward making it real.

What you picture in your head is practice for your real life.

Your brain has a filter for what's important

Have you ever noticed something weird happen? Like, you decide you want to buy a certain kind of car, and then suddenly you see that exact car everywhere you go. It feels like they just appeared out of nowhere. But they were always there. Your brain just started pointing them out to you.

Desi Batista says our brains have a special filter. It has to, because tons of information is flying at us all the time. Your brain can't possibly pay attention to everything. So, it picks and chooses what's important enough for you to notice. When you decide you want a specific car, you're telling your brain, "Hey, this is important now."

The difference is that now your brain is pointing it out to you, it's filtering it. Desi said

This filter doesn't hunt for what's true. It hunts for what you've told it matters. And you can actually train this filter on purpose. Desi shared a wild story about how this happened to her without her even realizing it. She had made a vision board on her computer and saved a picture of one part of it as the background on her phone. One of the pictures on it was a cool pair of shoes she liked.

After a few months, she didn't even notice the picture on her phone anymore. It was just there. One day, she and her husband were out shopping at a small store. She spotted a pair of shoes and thought they were amazing. It turned out they were the very last pair, and they were exactly her size. Her husband bought them for her, and she was so happy. She said the vision board was totally out of her mind.

Later, they got in the car, and she went to open her phone. When the screen lit up, she saw her background picture and just stared.

holy crap! Like the shoes are like right there, smack dead in the center. Desi said

It was the exact same pair of shoes she had just bought. She showed her husband, and they both couldn't believe it. This wasn't magic. It was her brain's filter doing its job. By having that picture on her phone, she was quietly training her brain to look for those shoes. She didn't have to think about it. Her brain already knew what to spot.

You can do this, too. You can teach your brain what is important to you and what to look for as you go about your day. It’s all about repetition.

• Your brain filters out most things to help you focus.
• You can tell your brain what you want to focus on.
• Seeing something over and over again is a great way to train your filter.
• What you look at on purpose teaches your brain what to show you.

This is why looking at your goals can be so helpful. You are not just daydreaming. You are giving your brain’s filter a very specific job to do.

So what you look at on purpose every day consistently tells that filter what actually matters and it trains it. Desi said

You’re basically giving your brain a search assignment. Then it goes out into the world and starts finding things that match what you’re looking for, whether it's a pair of shoes, a new opportunity, or something else you want in your life.

You can tell your brain what to notice in the world.

What's wrong with a normal vision board

So, you spent a whole afternoon cutting up magazines and gluing pictures onto a poster board. Now it’s hanging on your wall. But if you’re being honest, when was the last time you really looked at it? The biggest problem with a normal vision board is that after a while, your brain just stops seeing it. It becomes part of the background, like a lamp or a plant you walk past every single day.

Desi says it’s not that the board stops working completely. It just goes into super slow mode. Your brain basically tunes it out.

it gets to a point that you see it so much that you stop noticing it, right? It becomes one of those things that is there, but you don't really notice, it's just there working in the background. Desi said

She had a crazy experience that showed her exactly how this works. She had made a digital vision board and used a screenshot of one part of it as the wallpaper on her phone. The picture was there every single time she picked up her phone, but like most of us, she stopped paying attention to it. She’d just glance at the time or check her messages.

Months went by. One day, she and her husband were out shopping at a small store. She saw a pair of shoes and immediately loved them. They were perfect. And what do you know, they were the very last pair, and they were in her size. She asked her husband if he could get them for her, and he said yes. At that moment, she wasn't thinking about her vision board at all. It was completely out of her mind.

Then they got back to the car. She picked up her phone to open it, and her jaw dropped. There, on her screen, were the exact same shoes she was now holding in a shopping bag. It was a total shock.

holy crap! Like the shoes are like right there, smack dead in the center. Desi said

She showed her husband, and they both couldn't believe it. It felt like magic, but it wasn't. It was her vision board doing its job quietly in the background, even when she wasn't consciously looking at it. Her brain had seen the image so many times that when she saw the shoes in real life, it flagged them as important without her even realizing why.

This story shows us a few things about how vision boards work.

• They do plant ideas in your brain.
• Your mind absorbs the images even when you aren't paying attention.
• They can bring real results into your life.
• But, the process is very, very slow.

Think about it. Months passed before Desi saw those shoes. Her brain was working on it the whole time, but it took a while for the opportunity to show up. It wasn't an instant thing.

So that's not magic. That's the board working on me, even when I wasn't looking at it. So the board is not useless, it's just slow. Desi said

The information was seeping into her mind, but so slowly that she didn't even notice it happening. That’s the main drawback. You can get what you want, but you have to be willing to wait a long, long time because your brain gets tired of looking at the same static picture day after day.

A vision board can work, but it's slow because your brain eventually tunes it out.

That time my vision board bought me shoes

Have you ever made a vision board and then felt silly a few weeks later? It just sits on your wall, and you kind of stop seeing it. It feels like it's not doing anything. But what if it's working in a way you can't see? What if it's whispering to your brain when you're not even listening? The things we see over and over again can sink in, even when we don't notice them.

Desi thinks vision boards do work, just very quietly. She says they work "under the surface." You might look at your board so many times that you stop really looking at it. Your brain just knows it's there and moves on. But that doesn't mean it's doing nothing. As Desi explained, it’s still getting in there.

It's seeping in quietly below what you notice. Desi said

She shared a really funny story that shows this idea in action. She makes her vision boards on the computer now, using a program called Canva. After she made her latest one, she took a screenshot of a small part of it. She set that picture as the background wallpaper on her phone.

So every single day, she saw this picture when she opened her phone. At first, she probably noticed it. But you know how it is. After a while, you just unlock your phone to check the time or look at a text. The background just becomes, well, background noise. Months went by. One day, Desi and her husband were out shopping at a small shop. She saw a pair of shoes and immediately loved them. They were exactly her style. And get this: they were the very last pair, and they were in her size. She asked her husband if he would get them for her, and he said yes. She was so happy about her new shoes, but she wasn't thinking about her vision board at all. It was the last thing on her mind.

They left the store and got back into the car. Desi pulled out her phone to open it. When the screen lit up, she just froze. She saw her background picture, the one she had stopped even noticing. And she couldn't believe her eyes.

I'm like, holy crap! Like the shoes are like right there, smack dead in the center. Desi said

She showed her husband, completely shocked. They were the exact same shoes she had just bought. The ones in the box on her lap were the ones on her phone screen. She hadn't even been thinking about them when she went into the store. It wasn't some kind of magic trick. It was just her brain doing its job quietly in the background.

This is a great example of how a vision board can work even when you forget about it. It’s not a magic wand. It’s just training your brain what to look for.

That's not magic. That's the board working on me, even when I wasn't looking at it. Desi said

By seeing that picture every day, Desi was telling her brain's filter, "Hey, these shoes are important." So when she saw them in real life, her brain lit up and said, "Look! There's that important thing!" It pointed them out to her. You can try this yourself with something small. It's a simple experiment.

• Find one picture of something you want. It could be anything, like a new plant for your desk or a cool coffee mug.
• Make that picture the background on your phone or computer.
• Don't stare at it or think about it all the time. Just let it be there.
• Go about your life and see if you start noticing it more, or if a chance to get it shows up.

The point isn't to hope for magic. It's to see how your brain pays attention for you, even when you're busy with other things.

Your brain pays attention to things even when you don't think you are.

So what is a mind movie?

So you have a vision board, right? You spent all that time cutting out pictures and gluing them down. But after a week or two, does it just become part of the wall? You don't really look at it anymore. This is a common problem, and it’s why a mind movie might be a better choice for you.

Desi had this exact same experience. She made a digital vision board and put a picture of it on her phone's background. It had all her goals, including a really nice pair of shoes. Over time, she completely forgot about it. She’d open her phone to check the time and not even see the picture anymore. Her brain just tuned it out. Desi says this happens because the board is always there, so you stop noticing it.

It gets to a point that you see it so much that you stop noticing it, right? It becomes one of those things that is there, but you don't really notice, it's just there working in the background. Desi

Months later, Desi and her husband went shopping. She spotted a pair of shoes in a boutique and fell in love. "They were the last pair, they were my size," she said. Her husband bought them for her, and she was thrilled. She hadn't thought about her vision board at all. But when they got in the car, she opened her phone. And there they were. The exact same shoes were right in the middle of her phone's wallpaper. She was shocked! Her vision board worked, but it was slow and worked without her even realizing it.

This is where a mind movie comes in. Think of it as a vision board that has been brought to life. It’s a short video, usually just a few minutes long, that you create with pictures, video clips, and music. Because it has movement and sound, your brain doesn't get bored and tune it out. You watch it on purpose every day.

My movie, you're gonna watch it every day, it sinks in faster, and it's the same goal as the board, just with a way with a little bit more punch. Desi

The key is to not just fill your mind movie with a bunch of stuff you want, like a fancy car or a big house. While you should include those things, don't stop there. Your brain might see a picture of a million dollar home and think, "Yeah right, that's not me." It's better to build a story around the things you want. What does your life look like in that house? Who are you spending time with? What are you doing every day?

A pile of stuff just sits there. A story pulls you in, it gets you more in the feeling. Desi

You can make your own mind movie pretty easily. You don't need fancy software. Desi used the free version of Canva. Here’s a basic way to put one together:

• Split it into parts. Create different sections for areas of your life, like your health, your work, or your family.
• Tell a mini-story. For each section, show what a good day looks like. What do your mornings feel like? Who are you helping at your job?
• Use a mix of media. Use still photos, but also add short video clips. Moving images keep your brain watching.
• Add text. Write short sentences as if they are already true. Instead of "I want to be healthy," write "I am so grateful for my strong, healthy body."
• Choose the right music. Pick a song that makes you feel happy, inspired, or peaceful. The music helps you connect with the feelings of your future life.

A mind movie works because it tells a story your brain wants to watch over and over.

Don't just focus on the stuff you want

It’s easy to fill your mind movie with pictures of cool things. A fast car, a big house, a picture of a big bank account number. That’s where a lot of people start, but it's also where they stop. Just showing your brain a collection of stuff you want isn't always enough to make it feel real. It can feel more like you're looking at a catalog instead of your own life.

Desi talked about this exact thing. She said that when people make mind movies or vision boards, they often make this one mistake.

Most people feel it with stuff and they stop there. Desi said

The problem with only focusing on objects is that it doesn't give your brain much to hold onto. Desi explained that seeing just a picture of a car or a house can sometimes feel distant or unbelievable.

...stuff on its own is flat. Desi said

Think about it like this. A picture of a kitchen is just a picture of a kitchen. It's nice to look at, but it’s not your kitchen. It doesn't have any real feeling attached to it. But what if you saw a little video clip of yourself in that kitchen, making coffee in the morning while the sun comes in the window? What if you saw pictures of your family laughing at the dinner table in that same room? That’s not just stuff anymore. That’s a story. And our brains love stories.

Instead of just collecting pictures of things, Desi says you should build a whole story around them. Your mind movie should show the life you want to live, not just the stuff you want to own. She did this with her own movie. She broke it down into different parts, with each one telling a small story about her life.

She split her movie into sections like:

• My life
• My home
• My health
• My business
• The type of person I was gonna be

For each one, she didn't just paste in a photo. She built out the scenes. In the "home" section, she didn't just find a picture of a house. She added images showing what a normal morning would be like there. She thought about who she would be with and who would come to visit. She made it about people and experiences. For her business, she asked what a typical day would look like. Is she giving speeches? Being interviewed? She found images and clips to tell that story, making it feel like a real day.

This approach makes the whole thing much more believable. It helps you connect with the feeling of that life.

A story pulls you in, it gets you more in the feeling. Desi said

So go ahead and put the house and the car in your movie. That's totally fine. But then, build out from there. What does a normal day look like for the you who has those things? Where are you going in that car? Who are you having over to that house for dinner? Fill your movie with the little details that make up a life, not just the big-ticket items.

Build a story about your life, not just a slideshow of things you want.

How you can make your own mind movie

Okay, so you want to make a mind movie but you're not a filmmaker. Don't worry! You don't need to be. You can make your own movie pretty easily with free apps that you might already have on your phone, like Canva or CapCut. Desi made hers using Canva, and you don’t even need the paid version to do it.

The main idea is to create a short video that’s all about the life you want. But it’s not just a bunch of random pictures of nice things. Desi has a method that makes it feel more real to your brain. She suggests breaking up your life into different areas and making a small section for each one. That way, you're not just looking at a pile of stuff, you're looking at a whole life.

Desi explained how she organized her own movie.

The way I did mine, I split it into parts, right? My life, my home, my health, my business, um, the type of person I was gonna be, the speaker. Desi said

So, instead of one long video, she made mini-chapters. For her, it looked something like this:

• My life
• My home
• My health
• My business

For each of these parts, she built a little story. For example, in the "business" section, she didn't just put a picture of a dollar amount. She asked herself, what does her business look like day to day? She put in images that showed her doing interviews or giving speeches. For the "home" section, she included the house and the car, but also thought about what her mornings would be like. Who would she take trips with? It’s about building a story around the things you want.

That's the real key. A picture of a car is just a picture of a car. But a picture of a car that you imagine using for a family trip to a specific place feels different. It feels like a real memory you just haven't made yet.

A pile of stuff just sits there. A story pulls you in, it gets you more in the feeling. Desi said

To make it more interesting for your brain, Desi suggests using a mix of pictures and short video clips. A moving image keeps your attention longer than a still one. She also puts a picture of a mandala, which is a cool geometric design, between each section of her movie to break it up.

And it’s not just pictures. You can write out what you want, too. But there's a trick to it. You should write them like they have already happened.

I had short storylines written like they're already true. So not like I want this, but more like I'm so grateful that I have this, or this is what my life look like... Desi said

So, instead of writing "I want to be a homeowner," you could write "I'm so thankful for my beautiful home." It's a small change, but it tells your brain that this is something that is real and possible. You can even use pictures of yourself. With all the AI tools available now, you could even create an image of yourself doing something you've never done before, like speaking on a big stage or doing yoga on a beach. Seeing your own face in the story makes it that much more believable.

Putting your future life into a short movie helps your brain get used to the idea.

Use real photos and videos if you can

To make your mind movie really work, it can’t feel like you’re just watching a movie about someone else. You have to see yourself in it. Using generic pictures of fancy cars or big houses is fine, but it’s not personal. It’s a lot more effective when your brain sees you, specifically, living that life.

Some of us have a hard time picturing ourselves doing things we’ve never done before. If you tell someone who’s afraid of public speaking to imagine themselves on a stage, their brain might just say, "Nope, that’s not me." This is where adding your own images and even short videos can make a huge difference. As Desi explains, it helps the story feel real instead of just being a pile of nice things.

And yeah, use real images, you can drop in short clips so that it moves, and a pile of stuff just sits there. A story pulls you in, it gets you more in the feeling. Desi said

So how do you get a picture of yourself doing something you haven't done yet? You don't need a time machine. You can actually use technology to help. We have so many photo editing tools and AI programs now. You can take a picture of yourself and put it into a new setting. It might sound a little weird, but it's a great way to give your brain a clear picture of what you're aiming for.

Desi suggests using AI to create these images. You can give an AI program a photo of your face and a simple command.

There's so much AI nowadays, right? You can even have chat, you can give a chat a picture of you and say, I want a picture of me speaking at this event, or I want a picture of me, um, I don't know, doing yoga, whatever it is, and like put those in there, and that's gonna help you... Desi said

Besides adding your own face, you should also add movement. Think about it. When you're scrolling on your phone, what makes you stop? Usually, it's a video. Our brains are drawn to motion. A static vision board on the wall is easy to ignore after a while. But a video with moving clips keeps your attention. Desi mixes still photos with short video clips for this exact reason.

I did short clips, um, a little bit of video, because moving images pull your brain more than the still one does. So I use a combination of. Desi said

So, don't just use pictures of stuff. Put yourself in the story. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Use an AI tool to create a picture of you accepting an award.
• Find a short video clip of waves on a beach you want to visit.
• Take a photo of yourself sitting in the driver’s seat of the car you want during a test drive.
• Record a quick video of your hand writing in a journal to represent peaceful mornings.

By putting your actual face in the mind movie and adding video clips, you make it personal and engaging. It helps your brain move past just wanting something and start rehearsing what it feels like to have it.

Putting yourself in the picture makes it feel more like a future memory than a distant dream.

When is the best time to watch it?

So you've made your mind movie and you're excited to see what happens. The next big question is, when should you actually watch it? The timing matters a lot. Desi says there are two perfect times each day to press play.

She recommends watching your movie first thing when you wake up and right before you fall asleep. Think about how you feel during those moments. You're usually a little groggy and not thinking about your to-do list just yet. Desi calls this state of mind "soft," and it's the perfect time for new ideas to sink in. She says:

When you wake up, your mind is still soft.

Desi said

When your brain is in this soft, sleepy state, it's more open. The part of your brain that might argue or doubt your big goals isn't fully turned on yet. You haven't had time to get stressed about work or remember that bill you have to pay. By watching your movie first thing, you give your brain a positive picture to focus on before anything else can get in the way. It’s like setting the tone for your whole day.

So it slips in easier before the day starts talking you out of it, right?

Desi said

Watching it at night has a different, but just as important, job. All day long, you deal with problems and stress. If you go to sleep thinking about all that stuff, you’re not giving your mind a break. But if you watch your mind movie right before bed, you’re swapping out the day's worries for the life you want to create. Your brain works on things while you sleep, locking in memories and ideas. By feeding it your goals right before you doze off, you’re letting it work on those dreams all night long.

There’s also a certain way you should watch it. It's not about watching it like a movie on Netflix about someone else. You have to watch it like you're watching your own life. Desi points out that there’s a big difference between wishing for something and knowing it’s yours.

So there's a difference between watching it, wishing, and watching it knowing.

Desi said

Wishing keeps you in a state of waiting. But watching it with a feeling of knowing this is your life changes everything. As you see the images of your goals on the screen, don't think "I hope that happens." Instead, think "That is mine." This feeling helps the ideas stick much better.

Here’s a simple routine you can try:

• First thing in the morning: Before you check your phone or get out of bed, watch your movie.
• Right before you sleep: Make it the very last thing you do before you close your eyes.
• Watch with feeling: Don't just look at the pictures. Try to feel the emotions you would have if it were all real right now.
• Think "This is mine": Change your thinking from "I want" to "I have."

This isn't about just staring at a screen. It's about using those key moments in your day to gently guide your brain toward what you want. You’re giving it a clear map to follow, both when you’re awake and when you’re asleep.

Watching your movie in the morning and at night helps the ideas stick in your brain.

Watch it like you're watching your own life

So you've built your movie. You have the pictures, the music, and the words all ready to go. But how you watch it is just as important as what's in it. Think about when you watch a movie at the theater. You can get really into it, right? You might feel sad when a character is sad or get excited during a big chase scene. You're going to use that same idea when you watch your mind movie, but with a little twist.

There’s a big difference between watching your movie and wishing it would happen, and watching your movie like you know it’s going to happen. This small change in how you think makes a huge difference. Desi puts it perfectly. She says when you’re just wishing for something, you’re always waiting for it to arrive. You’re telling yourself, “this isn’t my life yet.” But if you can watch it with a feeling of knowing it’s already yours, things start to click a lot faster.

"So there's a difference between watching it, wishing, and watching it knowing. So wishing you keeps waiting, like, oh, I can't wait to have this one day. But if you watch it knowing this is yours, it'll be a better experience." , Desi

This isn't just about pretending. Your brain and body react to the feelings you have. When you watch that clip of you giving a speech or driving your dream car, and you feel the excitement and pride in your chest, your brain treats it like a real memory. You’re giving it a practice run. You’re teaching your body what this new life feels like. If you watch it and feel jealousy or sadness that it’s not here yet, you’re just teaching your brain that you don’t have it.

So instead of just looking at the pictures, try to change your thinking. When that image of the perfect morning comes on screen, don't think about how much you want it. Instead, think about how good it feels to have it.

"...when your life comes on screen, don't think, oh, I want that, or I can't wait for it to happen. Think that's mine, I deserve this." , Desi

The feelings are what make this work. It’s what helps turn a bunch of images and video clips into a real plan that your mind can follow. The whole point is to feel it so fully that your brain starts looking for ways to make it your reality. It helps to have a little routine when you watch your movie each day.

Here’s a simple way to do it:

• Sit up and take a few deep, relaxing breaths before you press play.
• Watch it like it's your own personal highlight reel, not someone else's life.
• When a goal appears, say to yourself, "That's mine," or "I am so happy and grateful for this."
• Let yourself feel the happiness, the peace, or the excitement. Don't hold back.

This feeling part is what makes everything stick. It's the glue that holds your vision together. The more you can feel the emotions of your new life, the more real it becomes in your mind. And what’s real in your mind is what your brain will work hard to create in the world around you.

"And how you feel while you watch it sticks, it helps, it cements it." , Desi

You don't just have to do this with a mind movie. You can have a vision board too. They both do the same job. The movie just tends to work faster because the music and movement help you feel things more. But the most important part is that you do it and feel it.

Don't just watch your goals, feel them as if they are already your reality.

Listen to the full conversation

You don't have to choose between a vision board and a mind movie. You can do both. The board can work quietly on your wall, while you watch the movie every day to get there faster. Want to hear all the details? You can play the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. To learn more or get in touch with me, Desi Batista, check out desibatista.com.