When I first got into the concept of using vision boards and dream boards for goal setting, I used ‘dream board’ as an all-encompassing term. The first of these kinds of boards I ever saw was on my mother’s office wall, and she referred to it as a dream board. Given that this was all I knew on the concept, it’s perhaps unsurprising that it stuck.
Now, both my mother and I often still use the terms interchangeably. I recently contributed to a book on vision boards in a ghostwriting capacity, and it was rightly pointed out that even with ‘vision board’ in the title of the book and having written the phrase dozens of times, I still managed to use ‘dream board’ twice in the content! So, that leads us nicely into the first section of this article.
Are Dream Boards and Vision Boards Interchangeable?
Even when I’m concentrating, I might use the two terms interchangeably. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. We have to consider that vision boards are an inherently personal exercise, and if you create it alone and are the only person to refer to it, it doesn’t really matter what you call it!
There are plenty of articles here at Widibi defining vision boards, dream boards and other similar techniques, so I won’t go into too much detail here. If anything, I now consider ‘vision boards’ as being the principal, all-encompassing term.
Other writers seem to feel the same way. We published an article recently on instant vision boards. Some might consider this as being an action board or another visualisation exercise under a multitude of different names. However, I agree with the principle because it brings in everything that vision boards are designed to do while actively tackling the longer-term nature of them.
I’ll expand on this question as we proceed through the article, but I will close this section in saying that if you use ‘vision board’ and ‘dream board’ interchangeably, you’re not wrong. However, you might reach a point where you define them differently on a personal level. I still use the terms to refer to the same things, as my anecdote above illustrates, but I’ll always remain open to defining them differently depending on my needs and goals at any given time.
Dream Boards vs Vision Boards – The Underlying Concept
Both dream boards and vision boards involve the act of putting goals, ambitions and indeed dreams on a ‘board’. In days gone by, that would be a literal board, but I don’t feel like that’s the case any longer. I’m on board with every other writer here on the site that feels like they can be created digitally without taking anything away from their usefulness and importance.
When it all comes down to it, the power of vision boards and dream boards comes from the act of thinking about what you want, actively considering it and putting it down on paper. Then, you need to display it prominently and enable it to inform your actions and decisions.
If you’re new to vision boards and dream boards and consider them both as being the same thing, I’d encourage you to continue to do so. These boards don’t start working until you create them and put them on display. I wouldn’t wonder too much about the details here and focus your efforts on making a start.
Dream Board vs Vision Board – In Summary
To me, dream boards and vision boards are the same things. You might find other people with differing opinions, and their ideas are by no means invalid. As mentioned above, there may come the point where you refer to dream boards and vision boards differently as they begin to fulfil different roles in your planning process. If and when that time comes, you’ll have every right to refer to them differently too.
For now, I’d thoroughly recommend thinking less about the terminology and more about getting your board made. We’ve got plenty of resources here on the site to get you started and to aid your progress, so do take a look around. The related articles below are the perfect place to start and feel free to investigate our Vision Boards category!
