Sharing my hopes with you.

LET’S TRY TO DREAM

***

I felt upside-down when 2022 began, so I really wasn’t in the mood to set goals or dream big. However, there were three things I still desired, and I repeated them to myself and others again and again:

1. Publish my poetry book
2. Get a job I like
3. Be happy

All three were crazy endeavours. I published my book, secured a good internship, and spent the rest of the year freelancing. Happiness was a tide as always; it came and went. I felt depressed for the first couple months of the year but after that, things largely looked up. Looking back now, I think I attained the last two goals to some degree, even if they didn’t look exactly how I expected them to. There’s a poem in my book called The long way Home which describes that feeling.

In my last post I discussed how I’ve had to adjust in the past year and build resilience in a new environment. I now feel like accepting this truth has paved a way for me to dream big in 2023. This year I want to have more on my heart in the hopes of success and achievement. So let’s try something new.

Here are some questions I’ve answered in my journal as I plan my first-ever vision board. I got the questions from a YouTube video by muchelleb. Everything below is 100% true; the kind of sharing I avoid because I value privacy. But I feel like sharing. Perhaps this could help you to think about your year ahead too. I may not share the vision board when I complete it, so I will share this.

What’s the next chapter of my life about?

• Achieving financial certainty/stability/ease
• Committing to a creative endeavour
• Exploring (my) belief(s) and lack thereof
• Looking after my body: rest and gentleness

Who do I need to be?
Someone that is…

• Patient
• Positive-minded (Philippians 4:8)
• Self-compassionate
• Confident
• Brave
• Willing and eager to learn from my mistakes
• Direct
• Hopeful
• Genuine

How do I need to grow?

• Trust my own approaches. Advice isn’t law.
• Be softer and more loving and caring to my family
• Accept needing God when I realise it
• Turn jealousy into inspiration. Keep congratulating people
• Stop assuming people’s responses. Always ask
• Take less things personally
• Make healthy eating a priority – spend time cooking
• Speak to myself with love always
• Look at myself with love always

What skills do I need to learn?

• Adobe Photoshop
• TikTok
• Meditation
• Praying for others more
• Sew-in with a leave-out
• Flexibility – splits!
• Self-discipline
• Saying no when I want to say no
• Healthily detaching myself from people’s feelings when it’s best for me

What steps do I need to take to get there?

• Establishing a routine for working and non-working days
  • News @6am
  • Bible/prayer before I get up
  • Breakfast daily
• Remember discipline over motivation
• Start therapy
• Change environment when I’m restless/groggy
• Put effort towards a goal daily
• Be patient
• Break down goals
• Remember all timing is divinely in alignment
• Tell myself there’s no mountain too big for God
• Think with hope, challenge negative thoughts and anxieties
• Be actionable
• Make a vision board!

It’s still pretty generic. But that suggests a holistic approach to my dreams, I think.

I avoided vision-boarding in the past because the thought of ending the year without achieving it all was painful. But I don’t think I care about that much anymore. I can’t keep shielding myself from something that could be great out of such a trivial fear. We’ll see how I get along.

How would you answer these questions for yourself?