An Update: April 2026
So I originally wrote this post about two years ago and the vision board I created was actually DELUSIONAL at the time. I wanted to fall in love in Paris, buy a Chanel bag, go to Versailles, and essentially be a princess. And to be clear this fantasy was not grounded in reality AT ALL.
At the time when I initially wrote this article I was working two jobs after leaving sex work and could BARELY afford to pay my bills- not to mention I had just had my first breakup with my DL ex. Unfortunately he was a lesson I had to learn the twice.
I wish I could say it got better shortly after but it didn’t, in fact it got worse, like much worse.
I ended up financially ruining myself, going through the worst heartbreak of my life, and working 60 hour work weeks to catch up on back rent. It was sufficed to say that instead of Paris, I had ended up in the literal pits of hell. My dreams of buying couture bags in the world’s most romantic city seemed laughable. Turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Two years later I had forgotten about the vision board, I detached from it, and figured these things I wanted could eventually come my way but I didn’t need them in order to be happy. I had finally accepted where I was in the moment and forgave myself for the choices I had made and for the first time in a long time I felt contentment.
One day I had someone DM me who wanted to set me up on a blind date- I won’t lie I was very apprehensive but one of my best friends insisted I go, I hadn’t dated anyone in over a year. I’ll spare you all the details but long story short, in a matter of month almost everything on my vision board would manifest. My now boyfriend would take me to Paris where we’d fall in love, buy me a Chanel bag for my birthday and take me to Versailles. I had finally become a princess.
It wasn’t until a couple months later I had stumbled on this vision board, this post where I realized most of the things I manifested on my board had come true.
Originally published 2024- the vision board below is real and manifested from my original vision board two years later
Vision Boarding & My Mental Health Journey
The narrative that society has written for trans women is an extremely bleak one, we’re taught that we should settle for scraps, shrink ourselves, and that our obstacles in life are far too great for us to overcome.
This narrative is a lie meant to make us feel small and keep us from being fully integrated into a society that revolves around cis people. As someone who actually believed this narrative earlier in my transition, I struggled with depression so much so that I often thought about ending my own life.
Which looking back was such a dark period of my life and even writing about it makes me feel a little emotional. However as someone who survived such a heavy experience, I am here to tell you that suffering is not permanent and that life does get better. I promise 🙂
You deserve everything you want in life and you are more than capable of making it happen. And one of the tools that have helped me on this mental health journey are vision boards!
How Vision Boards Helped Save My Life
2023 was a particularly transformative year for me, I recognized that my mental health was not in a good place and I decided I wanted to do something about it. I started implementing various systems into my life and made improving my mental health my top priority.
One of those systems was using a vision board as my screensaver for my phone. Which may not sound like much but in combination with going on Hot Girl Walks, journaling, meditating and getting prescribed the proper medication made all the difference.
This is because my vision board was a collage of experiences or objects that I wanted to manifest into my life. Which gave me something to look forward to. It gave me purpose and reminded me of my goals so I could actively work towards them little by little.
This is just one of the ways I built confidence and started building up my self worth. Not only that but everything on my vision boards came true to some degree. I had manifested a trip to LA, getting my first passport, a new camera, surgery consultations, achieving my hair goals, and more.
This is all thanks to vision boards which have helped me achieve self actualization through the power of manifestation.
What is Self Actualization?
By definition self actualization is the fulfillment of one’s talents and potentialities which is considered as a drive or need present in everyone.
In simpler terms, we all have hopes and dreams which is where or purpose lies. When we accomplish the things we set out to do in the world, that is self actualization.
Achieving self actualization means becoming the person you’ve always wanted to be and what could be more fulfilling then that!?
What is Manifestation?
When people talk about manifesting they’re referring to the goals, experiences, or even people they were able to attract in their life intentionally. You are able to manifest with the law of attraction.
What is the Law of Attraction
The true definition of the Law of Attraction is like attracts like.
Whatever you give your emotional energy and attention to, is what will come back to you.
The law of attraction is about focusing on the energy you put into yourself as well as the energy that you project into the world. If you find you are in a negative headspace, telling yourself “my goals are too far away”, “people think I’m ugly”, or “I will never find love.” Then because of the law of attraction that is the outcome you will unfortunately manifest.
This is because our brain wants us to be right, as humans we look for patterns in the world to prove whatever hypothesis we make is correct. Which is why it’s so important to challenge negative self talk.
Challenging Negative Self Talk
The next time you start dogging on yourself, just ask yourself questions like, “How does this thought serve me?” or “Is what I’m thinking the truth or is it a lie I’m telling myself?” or “Is thinking this way going to improve my situation?”
By simply taking the time to notice your thought patterns, you can learn to be more intentional with your way of thinking. And if you notice a problem with your thought process you can start challenging yourself more and change your mindset!
When you start focusing on yourself by actively trying to better your mental health I promise you will begin vibrating at a higher frequency. This is when amazing things begin to happen in your life aka when you begin to manifest the life of your dreams!
Often times manifestations are better than you expect. But also speaking from personal experience, I’ve manifested situations and realized that it’s not what I wanted. But it was a learning experience that allowed me to pivot and come closer to realizing what I truly wanted out of life.
The Secret to Manifestation
Manifestations come to fruition by setting goals, working towards them little by little, remaining positive, and lastly staying detached.
Detachment
Detachment is about trusting the process of your life, and knowing your life is about YOU. Not about other people.
Whether that’s being anxiously attached to someone you like. Or worried about the perception of other people in general. Being detached is being focused on your energy, career, and dreams while also trusting the universe to make it happen in divine timing.
Divine Timing
Have you ever noticed you’ve met certain people at the right time? Money came your way when you really needed it? Think about all the weird “coincidences” that have happened in your life. That’s divine timing.
Divine timing is the concept that you are exactly where you should be and that everything that happens in your life, happens at exactly the right time.
When we ground ourselves in the present, focus on what’s in front of us and trust that things will work out when the time is right. We are letting go of control, staying detached, and manifesting through the law of attraction!
How to Create a Vision Board with Canva
Making a vision board doesn’t have to be complicated or messy. So before you go pining through magazines and risk a paper cut. Try Canva instead, it’s a free app that gives you endless creative freedom when it comes to creating your vision board.
This is not sponsored content, I was at an event at NY Tech Week where the team presented the app and I genuinely love the brand/product. I also love that the app is 100% free and really democratizes graphic design.
Landing is available as an app for your phone or can be used online at landing.space
Vision Boards are not substitutes for medical treatment…
I’m not saying that vision boards alone will drastically improve your mental health but I do believe they can help challenge negative thought patterns. By having aspirations to look forward to we can remind ourselves in times of crisis that we all go through difficult seasons and that the wheel of fortune will eventually turn back in our favor.
These seasons challenge us and we have the power to come out of them far stronger than we were before. Staying positive in the face of adversity is a challenge but not impossible, and in fact the more we practice the easier it becomes.
I also recognize my privilege as a white trans woman so I don’t mean to come off as out of touch, that’s not the intention of this post. I’m just saying that going through major depressive episodes by myself was hell and it breaks my heart knowing other trans women go through it too.
Now I do need to emphasize that part of my recovery was being prescribed the right medication. So if you find yourself having more bad days then good I highly recommend seeking treatment from a professional. It changed my life and I was actually able to start recovering and build a meaningful life.
A last few words of encouragement…
I’m telling you vision boards are an amazing manifestation tool, whenever I look at mine I get so excited for what the future has in store for me! And that’s how you should feel when you look at yours too!
And in case you needed to hear this…
- You are a bad bitch
- You are the writer of your own story
- Other people’s opinions are none of your business
- You are strong enough to fight for the life you want
- Stop procrastinating and make your fucking vision board!
Xoxo
CTG Aria
