I can’t believe I finally get to do this again. I know February is here already and a lot of us are already blazing our goals for the year. If you are not there yet, no pressure! The important thing is to get it right.
Towards the end of last year, I saw several posts on Instagram describing 2020 as a wasted year. I scrolled through some of the comment sections and chuckled at some of the responses there. Some wanted 2020 ‘erased’ from history. Some said they added a year but remained on standstill, and loads of other comments.
Yes, 2020 came with a pandemic that took the world by ‘surprise’. Yes, a lot of things that happened in 2020 with were totally unexpected. However, I cannot sincerely say that it was not a good year for me, and for many others I’m sure. But I think some people feel reluctant or feel that it would be insensitive, to admit that the year was a good one for them because it was a tough one for a lot of people. Well, I’m not going to kid myself, 2020 was an amazing year for me. I lived my BEST life in 2020. Gosh!!! I look back at the girl that walked into 2020 and the girl that walked out, and I see how much I have GROWN.
I had my first vision board in 2020. Prior to this, all I knew about vision boards were the opinions and experiences other people have shared about them. As I embraced my own personal development journey, I soon discovered how easy it is to follow the crowd without minding if the shoe fits. There were a lot of ‘Vision Board Parties’ and seminars, and for some, not having a vision board meant you were way behind. I remember being asked, “Have you created your vision board?” Having one was like securing a rite of passage into the club of ambitious women. Here’s what I think about vision boards…
You need to have a vision FIRST before creating a vision board. I was told what I needed to make a vision board were a pair of scissors, some old magazines, a cardboard, and some glue. But, it’s not enough to flip a magazine, cut out pictures that ‘look like’ something you would like to achieve and put them up on your wall. Catching a compelling vision is the first step. If you’re not there yet, please resist the pressure to create pictures of a life ‘you think you want’ without first having a conviction.
Following this process would save you from A LOT of heartache and disappointment. The reason why you haven’t achieved the goals on your vision board is because they were not your goals to begin with – you assumed they were. In my case, I picked some of my major goals for the year, typed them out in bold print, found pictures that would remind me of them, and put them up. I got to achieving most of the goals on my vision board because they were the things I would have worked on anyways, vision board or not. All the pictures did was to remind me to pray about them and work on them CONSISTENTLY through the year.
I borrowed the phrase ‘stretch street’ from my favourite coach and teacher, DDK. Remember I stepped into year 2020 with the sole aim of building capacity. I wanted to grow! I knew it would be DEMANDING! When one of my teachers, Olori Boye-Ajayi (I have teachers for the important areas of my life!) talked about growth, the stretch and pain that came with leaving the comfort zone, it was almost scary, but I was ready. For the better part of the year, I was enrolled in multiple courses and programmes. At some point, I had three of them going on simultaneously. First, I knew I could no longer go to bed and wake up when I FELT I had gotten enough sleep. My sleep could no longer be instinctive (LOL). I am trying to choose my words carefully here so you can take the principles and apply them in your own peculiar way. One thing I did first was create structure in my home to suit me.
Ps: There was a lockdown and we were all indoors. As soon as life went back to normal and I had to handle work, school runs and all, we all adjusted to that.
Everyone had to readjust. Bedtime for the kids was renegotiated. Hubby took over the bedtime routines (reading, telling endless stories, playing games and whatever else they decided to do). I had enough time to round off for the day and settle into ‘me-time’. Their naps were more structured as well. In this season of my life, we were home for a significant part of the year, thanks to COVID-19. Daily, I had an average of eight hours to myself. My God!!! It was almost unbelievable. I had three hours after their bedtime, two to three hours before they woke up, and about two hours during their siestas. Here’s what I discovered: most of our complaints about insufficient time, either as parents or singles, is tied to a lack of STRUCTURE! Something else that helps me a lot is planning my day ahead. To-do lists are life savers! Waking up with your day (or most of it) planned goes a long way! Prior to this period, my day took the direction of whatever came up, planned or not. In summary, it was a mess! I had to learn, unlearn, and re-learn A LOT.
Hey Mama, It’s your responsibility to take steps towards ‘breaking your bubbles’ – dealing with your limitations and developing your mindset. We are all just steps away from knowledge that will change our lives, LITERALLY! In 2020, I threw myself into learning. I DO NOT listen to and learn from anyone out there. NO! You need to pray for the ability to discern your teachers. Not every coach, teacher, preacher is meant for you. They may not be necessarily teaching the wrong things, but they may not speak to you in a particular season of your life. We grow into seasons and outgrow seasons. Notice that we ALWAYS come back to prayer and the Holy Spirit. We all need to thrive and live our best lives! Prayerfully ask for the grace and ability to discern your teachers per time and when you find them, maximize the opportunity.
I hope you can pick a thing or two you can apply to your life in this season. 2021 is still a clean slate (almost 10 months clean though, LOL). Make it count.
PS: Towards the end of last year, I recorded an amazing podcast session with Eziaha Bolaji-Olojo (a.k.a. Coach E). It’s a must-hear! Eziaha is a mum on a mission to raise her boys for God! Please, click the link below to enjoy her WISDOM.
Structure, structure, structure!… “to-do lists saves lives”! Absolutely!
I totally agree. Thank you so much for putting all this knowledge together in one piece.
So brilliant!