2025: the Vision

Hello! It's been an age since I updated the blog, and with the new year in full swing, I figured it was time to jump back into it.

Near the beginning of the month, myself and a few friends set out to create our 2025 vision boards. Now, if you've never heard of a vision board before, it's a collection of images, symbols, and/or words that represent what you what to bring to life in the coming year.

What you wish to accomplish - it can be a long-time goal, travelling to a new place, or learning a language. 

It can also be silly, whimsical, or audacious - it's up to you!

I've got some bigger goals on mine, but I've also got a cute chicken - they make me smile so much, and it's a good reminder to find joy in the small things. There's also a picture of a girl wrapped in a big blanket (who doesn't need a weighted blanket!? Cosy!!). 

Indeed I've even got lovely drawing of a hoover. I recently came to realise that I've morphed into an unwilling technological minimalist, being now without possession of a dishwasher, hoover, microwave, dryer, or indeed even a toaster since it blew up on me on New Years. Most of these things I can live without, however I would greatly appreciate the hoover.

It's a strange thing to have to borrow once a week. 

I've got a couple of challenges up too. The other day I ticked off one of them - to cycle the local greenway from end to end, a round trip of about 63kms. It did make me reevaluate my quest to cycle the length of Ireland, and I had to, once again, break my (probably) unrealistic attempt at no-sugar January.

I reckon if I want to commit to this cycling thing I might also need to recommit to my love affair with sugar. Look, we all have to make sacrifices.

To start your own vision board, here's what to do. 

1. Make a list, on the notes app in your phone or in a notebook, of every single thing that pops into your head when you say "I want to" or "I'd like to" or "my dream is to" 
2. If you're stuck on ideas, try to think about different areas of your life - I picked health and fitness, relationships, travel, hobbies, business, and finally some random things I'd love to own.
3. Once you've got a big long list of all these things, pick a couple from each to focus on. Eg. I want to write a book. I'd like to finish a song on the piano. My dream is to see the northern lights. You could add every single want and desire you have, but that can be overwhelming, so I recommend focusing on the things you have a deep pull towards. 
4. Crack open Canva and make a poster full of pictures, words, and symbols that stand for these desires. Make it pretty and inviting, spend a bit of time on this - you'll be gazing at it for the next year. I also included a word for the year - Dedication. Pick one that sort of encompasses the whole lot of goals and ambitions you got going. I also added a few quotes that'll boost my morale when all hope seems lost (sometime in mid March when it's been raining for 2 weeks, the piano is jarringly out of tune, and my shin splint have made their biannual appearance).
5. Print the poster out, and stick it somewhere you can't help but see. I've got mine on the mirror opposite my bed, so it's the last thing I see at night.
6. If you want to be extra bougie, you can take your pictures and cut them and paste them onto a pretty backing board with extra decorations. This is what I did with my friends, but it's not essential. The more energy and effort you spend crafting your vision, the better you'll be connected to what you've got on the board.
   
7. That's it! Take 5 minutes a day, or more if you want, to look at the pictures, and feel yourself actually doing some of the things. Imagine how it'd feel to reach a 365 day streak on Duolingo (take THAT, you damn owl!), or imagine how tired and sore and delighted you'll be after cycling for days on end down the coast of Ireland. 

Some additional details:

I included a desire to do some fundraising for a charity (literally the word fundraising is on my board), without specifying the form that will take or who it will be for. Sometimes it's fun to have a vague or open ended goal on your board. The universe has a way of throwing things on your path that may surprise you, in the best way possible!