I mean, seriously. Are vision boards, those grade-school arts-n-crafts poster boards featuring your life’s “vision” using magazine cut-outs, a complete waste of time? I’ve always thought so, but this year my mind is starting to shift.
Why the shift in thought this year, you ask? Well, I’ve started to look at this exercise for what it is, not what those without purpose think it is. We’ve seen the vision board party Facebook invites. You know, the ones where all the women get together with appetizers, beverages, and all the vomit-inducing girly girl things you can think of. Most of the time, I believed it was just an excuse to get together and bash husbands, or drink in a safe environment. There are articles to support the benefits of vision boards as well as research that indicate vision boards don’t work. I’ve always thought they were a waste of time and something that only people who don’t have it together complete. Then my cousin sent a text to the family group chat, “Who has a word to live by for 2020?”
Crap. “A word,” she wrote. Her husbands word is “hopeful” and hers is “celebration/intention”. I started 2020 not knowing where my life was headed, what I wanted to accomplish, or how I was going to accomplish anything. I was stuck. I felt lost. I needed a goal or challenge to work towards. I didn’t need a $.59 piece of poster board and magazine clippings, I needed some tangible, realistic goals. What was my word for 2020? The wheels started turning. After much thought I I chose the words “peace and purpose.”
I want to really focus on tapping into the peace that surpasses all understanding. I want to live on purpose, not just wherever the wind takes me. I am a person who needs a purpose, a challenge, a thing to work towards. This sometimes causes anxiety, but not if I let the peace of God rule in my heart instead of my frantic, anxious thoughts. From this revelation, my 2020 goals started to take shape. I started to actually envision what my life would be like with peace and purpose at the helm. Instantly, I whipped out my notepad app and started to let the ideas flow into a checklist of challenges to accomplish for the year. It’s funny, but when there’s peace and purpose in your life, those things that seemed like roadblocks suddenly start falling down.
My 2020 GOALS
Launch Fourmi Design Studio – my personal graphic and web-design business
- Launch new website
- Gain one new client
- Create a product
Grow Frolic & Courage
- Monetize & make Adsense $$
- Create helpful planning content
- Blog MORE about life
- Grow to 1,500 subscribers
- Create a product
Develop Local Friendships
- Go out to lunch with friends
- Find cool couple friends
- Possibly start a life group for couples
Get Back in Shape
- Improve cardio health
- Flatten stomach
- Slim thighs
- Reduce back fat
- Tone arms
Love & Encourage My Husband
- Stay positive
- Encourage positive behavior
- Keep him focused
- Daily hugs
Peace, Positivity, and Productivity
- Start each day with God’s peace
- Read verses in peace
So are vision boards a waste of time? Honestly, some people find the vision board exercise helpful (the ones that take them seriously), so I can’t say “no”. All I can say to them is do you, boo! As for me, It’s not my thing. I’d rather let the peace of God and His purpose for my life drive my goals, and on my journey, I will be just fine without one. With this new clarity and peace, these goals were born. Furthermore, I’m excited because some of these are already coming to life and I can’t wait to see what’s next!
How about you? Do you believe vision boards are a waste of time? Are they helpful? Share your thought below!
Antoinette | Frolic & Courage