Have you ever made a vision board? I made one at the end of last year at a special workshop just for making vision boards. It’s about the goals I set for myself for 2015. I just made mine a little different because I am legally blind. Usually, people fill up a poster board with lovely images of things they want and words that inspire. I’m a rebel, though. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see the pictures or the words. So I filled my board with black raised images on a black background. I had to feel my goals instead of see them.
It’s really neat reviewing the goals I had set for myself. I have really done a lot this year! You may have read about some of the goals as I was working on them throughout the year. Since you can’t see the pictures, i’ll describe them to you and I’ll let you know how I did on those goals.
First, is an image of a little black dress. It represents my goal to achieve better health. My progress toward this goal was really up-and-down this year. In the end, though, I made a decision to change the way I eat and I implemented these changes about a week and a half ago. Some people say I’m crazy for doing it just before Christmas. But I feel really good that I am ending the year strong in working toward this goal.
Next is a magnifying glass with the letter “S” in focus. It represents my being focused on our work with Simply Great Lives. This year I definitely feel that I achieved that focus. There are lots of things I want to do in making a difference in the lives of other people and it’s easier for me to move forward on that work now than it used to be. Read on to find out more about why.
Then, there’s a steaming teapot. It represents me bristling with excitement to share my message. Now, I’ve got that one down! I am having a lot of excitement in this area.
There is a pair of lips. They represent my message and my getting clear on exactly what that message is. This one took a lot of work but I finally gained the clarity I so deeply desired. I love helping people become aware of how they are impacting other people!
There are a bunch of circles together. They represent a group of people because I wanted to start doing public speaking to share our message. That goal went very well this year. In fact, we started off the year with an interview on a local TV news show. I have plans for doing lots more public speaking next year.
There is a hand. It represents me touching lives. We have been doing this more and more throughout the year. We finished strong with helping people get clear on their purpose at our seminar earlier this month. We are enjoying working with more coaching clients, too.
Lastly, there is the word “braille” in braille. It represents my desire to be proficient enough in braille to be able to read it and speak it fluently aloud. I admit that I fell short on this goal. I have maintained my skills but have not built them to this level of proficiency. It’s still something to work on.
Overall, I’m very pleased with my forward momentum this year. I did a lot of good work that really paid off in results.
I hope you spend some time reflecting on the progress you made in 2015. Go ahead and celebrate the wins. Decide what’s worth recommitting to set some more goals for 2016. Whether or not you use a vision board, be sure to write down your goals and revisit them frequently. For an added layer of insurance, pull in an accountability partner to help keep you on track.
Finally, if there is a goal you hadn’t yet achieved for this year, you don’t have to give up on it just because it’s Christmas time. There is still time to put some helpful habits and practices into place. Next year you’ll be glad you made it a priority and didn’t put off getting started on wh::at’s really important to you.
