I remember the December of 2023 so vividly. My friend and I packed our bags and headed to another friend’s house, ready to lock ourselves in for two days.
We were as thick and thieves with one goal: to map out our dream 2024. We had the Year Compasses printed, pages ready for writing, and Pinterest-worthy vision boards to create. We wrote big dreams for our personal goals, career goals, financial plans, even the tiniest habits we wanted to start, it was all there. My word for the year was open doors. It felt perfect, like everything I was planning would align and lead me to breakthrough moments. It was fun, almost therapeutic.
By the time we were done, we had everything sorted. I had five or six sheets of paper filled with detailed plans and a beautiful digital vision board that looked like a Pinterest mood-board.
The first week of January was full of energy. I was determined to stay on top of my goals. But when January rolled around, life didn’t care about my pretty pictures or perfectly outlined plans. Work kicked in and before I knew it, February had come and gone. I stopped looking at my vision board, forgot about my year compass, and fell right back into my old routines. The vision board was nothing more than a pretty wallpaper on my laptop.
By March, I hadn’t touched any of my goals except one, starting tennis, small personal win in an otherwise overwhelming year. The rest of the year went by a blur of work, stress, and unfulfilled plans.
By October, when a friend casually asked me how far I’d come with my goals, I realized I hadn’t done anything. My goals stared back at me from that same vision board, untouched, unachieved, and painfully familiar.
Hmm that’s when I actually paused and looked at myself. These weren’t new goals, no matter how I designed my vision board or decorated my plans, the actual content never changed. It was like trying to rewrite the same story with a new font, it looked fresh, but nothing was different.
Nothing had changed.
That moment was hard to swallow. It wasn’t that my dreams were unrealistic or that I didn’t want them anymore. I just hadn’t done the work. I’d let the vision board become a decoration instead of a roadmap.
My New Year Started in October 2024
I was exhausted, stressed, and completely out of alignment with myself. My life felt stagnant despite all the plans I’d made. I knew I needed to reset. I stopped chasing the perfect plan and started focusing on small, intentional actions. I took time off to rest, reassessed my priorities, and gave myself permission to start again.
This break made all the difference. By the end of the month, I was blogging again something I’d been putting off all year. Even got a PR package from a brand 😄. I found myself moving with clarity and purpose.
I realized I didn’t just need a vision board or grand declarations to make progress. I just needed to show up for myself every day, getting closer to the plans on that vision board.
Why I’m Done with Only Creating Vision Boards
Don’t get me wrong, vision boards are beautiful but they don’t work unless your goals are deeply aligned with who you are right now. Looking back, I realized my vision boards had become performative, designed for the version of myself I wanted others to see, not the person I truly was.
It’s easy to create goals and forget them. The real challenge is building intentional habits and routines that support those goals. Vision boards won’t do that for you.
Instead of just doing a vision boards, I’m focusing on intention. My goals for 2025 aren’t about grand transformations but small, consistent steps rooted in self-awareness and authenticity.
Read This Before You Set Your New Year Goals.
Before you start mapping out your goals for the new year, or if you have already, Ask yourself;
- Are these goals truly what I want or am I fulfilling someone else’s expectations?
- Do these plans reflect who I am now, or are they outdated ideas of who I think I should be?
- Am I focused on building a meaningful life, or just ticking boxes for validation?
Your value isn’t tied to how much you achieve or how perfect your life looks. Goals are meant to guide you, not define you.
A quick checklist for setting intentional goals in 2025
- Keep them specific and realistic.
- Focus on what fulfills you, not what impresses others
- Break big goals into small, actionable steps. I’m breaking into months, I have goals set for each month instead of quarterly like I did last year
- Be flexible. Life changes, and your goals can too
My IN’S For 2025
- Practicing self-compassion and patience
- Creating content that feels authentic
- Making mental health a daily priority
- Setting boundaries that protect my peace
- Helping others as part of my healing
- Prioritizing holistic wellness
- Doing daily mental health check-ins
- Moving my body through sports and easy exercises
- Taking intentional breaks to rest
- Building meaningful connections
- Creative outlets like crocheting, colouring, designing, making art and stuff I like
My OUT’S For 2025
- Perfectionism in my work and creativity
- Ignoring my mental health needs
- Toxic positivity when I’m struggling
- Overloading my schedule without rest
- Saying YES when I mean NO
- Seeking external validation
- Avoiding tough conversations about mental health
- Over consuming content social media
- Bed rotting, spending too much time in bed without purpose
- Mindless scrolling that wastes my energy
Again, Vision boards are not the enemy
But they aren’t enough on their own. I watched a YouTube video by Tam Kaur on understanding vision boards, and I got a new understanding. If you’re looking for a nudge to get started, you might find it helpful too.
Honestly , vision boards or not, the work still has to be done. looking at the vision board from last year comparing it to what I wrote down this year and it’s literally the same things, I only refreshed the pictures and quotes. Action, reflection, and consistency are what truly make a difference.
This year, I completed the Year Compass again, and it resonated with me in a way it hadn’t before. I cried a lot writing my 2024 review, but it also brought clarity. I had to rework many of the same goals for 2025, proof that
My future self is hungry for growth and willing to do the work.
JD
I’ve already shared this compass with the people closest to me, and if you’re reading this, you’re part of that circle too. You can download the Year Compass 2025 YEAR COMPASS
If you’d like a sample digital vision board to inspire your own, let me know in the comments, and I’ll share a link with you.
Your Future self is calling!
Till next time
JD