Goals, Vision boards & everything in-between…

So here we are, a good solid 2 weeks in from the new year. The excitement has died down, and its actually been a bit of a rocky road so far, right? But, 2020 is said to be the year of change and new beginnings, in equal measure for all of us. Yay! But you gotta harness that magic, it isn’t just going to land in your lap. 

Yes we can set goals, manifest and visualise our dream life every spare 5 minutes we have, but all of that needs to be backed up with actions. This is where intentions and commitments come in.

Whatever it is your trying to call in this year, or in life in general, there are some sure fire ways to go about it.

Resolutions are not what this is about. Resolutions have become synonymous with giving up something – drinking, smoking…chocolate. Or loosing weight, going to the gym 10 times a week, going on a fad diet that you wont keep up.

Goals are very different. They are the thing you hope to achieve in life. Instead of focusing on the individual things you will give up, your goal may be – to be in optimum health. Or rather than ‘earn more money’, how about your goal is ‘start a business’. It is about thinking about what you want to achieve, WHY you want to achieve it and HOW you plan to get there.

All of the below is not fixed, and its not just for new year. These things will change and flex as the year goes on, and as you review at certain points throughout the year you will add in and take things away.

So, here is a guide to how I work with goals, intentions, visions boards and commitments…

GOALS

The big dream.

The blue sky.

These are specific achievements you hope to reach. The things that you wish for in life, manifest, visualise. They are things that make up your VISION BOARD.

Goals are not restrictive! Your goals should not be to STOP doing anything, or about having to start anything. There are not there to punish you and shouldn’t be something you are doing because you feel you SHOULD.

They are things that bring you joy. Things that when thought about you light up. Be it personal, career related. Things you want to receive or maybe things you want to BE.

You can keep them relatively vague. Being too specific about goals can sometimes put to much pressure on to achieve a certain thing and close you off to the opportunities and possibilities that might show up for you.

I set goals at the beginning of the year around the time of the closest new moon – which this year was just before xmas. New Moons are a great time to set goals as they are time for new beginnings.

Light some incense, sit, take a few deep breathes, meditate if its your thing, and get clear about what you want. Imagine where you want to be this year, next year, in life…and write down those things. As many as you want.

At every new moon, check back in on those goals to see how you are going. Are they still relevant, are there new goals you want to add on?

Some of my goals have been on my list for a few years, and every year I get a little bit closer to achieving it, and if I haven’t moved any closer to achieving it, its time to ask why. What is getting in my way, and is there something I need to let go of in order to achieve this.

~ WEEKLY & DAILY PRACTICE ~

I also set myself smaller immediate goals at the beginning of a moon cycle (or maybe you choose to roll by the cycles of calendar month) as I look at the month ahead. These are often more tangible goals, inspired by the bigger ones. Maybe you see an opportunity in the month ahead to do something that takes you one step closer to one of your bigger goals!

VISION BOARD

The fun bit! Collecting images, phrases onto one board, that represent your goals, that you can refer to as often as you like is a really powerful way to stay focused on your goals and dreams. 

It helps bring your goals to life, and give them a visual so you can begin to see yourself in those goals. Once you have you vision board completed, study it, know it, and visualise it as often as you get the chance.

Visualisation is a really powerful tool used by some of the most successful people in the world to achieve the things they want. It works by focusing our mind on what you want, which helps increase your willpower and motivation. By stepping into that vision board and really feeling the reality, research shows your brain doesn’t know any different than if you were actually doing it. 

Using magazine, photographs, or maybe you want do it online and have it as the desktop on your computer so you see it all the time. 

Have your goals in mind, as you pull images that speak to you, that you have an emotional response to. This is where you can get more specific if you like. 

For example – If your goal is to travel more, for your vision board you may have a picture of a plane, OR maybe you choose an image of somewhere specific you hope to visit. 

~ WEEKLY & DAILY PRACTICES ~

Looks at your vision board as often as you like. I have mine out all the time, but don’t often study it. Sometimes when I feel I might be loosing track I will sit and study it, meditate with it. But you may choose to simply look at it at the beginning of every month to keep yourself motivated. 

INTENTIONS

Intentions are you why and how. The are about your relationship with yourself, others and you life. How do you want to show up in this life, what kind of person do you want to be. 

These are the things that will get you to those goals, that will guide you into begin the person you need to be to achieve those goals.

Inspired by your goals list, you intentions will be the statements you live by that help you get there. For example. If your goal is ‘To be in good health’, your intentions might be – ‘I intend to make healthier food choices’.

Set a whole list of intentions; statements beginning with ‘I intend to….’ that state how you are choosing to live you life going forward from this point. Intentions help bring you back to your purpose and guide your actions. They set the tone of your life in the most supportive way. When you feel like you off balance, going back to your intentions will help guide you back to your path towards those goals.

~ WEEKLY & DAILY PRACTICES ~

Intentions can be set whenever! Setting daily intentions at the beginning of a yoga practice of how you want to live that day, or just simply when you wake up deciding how you choose to live that day can be so powerful in helping keep you actions on track.

Maybe you know you have a big week ahead, so you might want to see an intentions at the beginning of the week to help guide you through it, and pull you back to your purpose.

COMMITMENTS

Setting a few commitments to yourself is a great way to stay on track daily with your goal achieving!

Sometimes the big goals and intentions can overlook the everyday actions that will inevitably help you get to your goal. They essentially act as reminders of the things you can do, and as the name suggests, they are commitments to yourself. Things you are choosing to do for yourself!

Bringing yourself back to earth for a minute after all that blue sky dreams and intentions….take a minute to look over your goals and intentions, and then thinking about where you right now realistically. Are there things you can easily put in place, daily or monthly practices that will help you start working towards these goals, or make it easier to live by your intentions.

Maybe one of your goals is your dream career, so your commitment may be to apply for at least one new job a month until you get there. Or maybe a commitment to make a payment to your saving account once a month (no matter how small), you get the idea.

Don’t make them things you wont always be able to live up to, don’t put strict deadlines, or amounts on things, and if they make you feel stressed – get them off the list!! That’s not the idea!

~ WEEKLY & DAILY PRACTICES ~

Plot these out in your diary each week. If you have committed to going for a run once a week, plot it out. Get it in the diary, that way you are more likley to do it.

All of these things have been instrumental in keeping my head in check, and my focus…..focused. Especially in amongst the whirlwind of the last couple of years. They are invaluable tools for maintaining a good sense of self, and a positive mind. REMEMBER – they can be set at anytime, there are no deadlines, no restrictions, and they WILL change over the years, months, days….go with the flow, your goals and dreams are your choosing!!

L xx