Hindsight’s 2020
It’s the end of 2020, and quite frankly, thank God. What a wild ride we’ve been on. The end of the year tends to bring forth a time of reflection. Looking back on all this year brought, and looking forward to the hopes and dreams that next year may bring. As I reflect on this year, I see both light and dark. Sometimes the darkness was overwhelming. Fear, sadness, longing, anger…the list goes on. I am a big feeler. I feel everything. The loss of so many lives around the world to COIVD-19, the social injustice, the political landscape, the crumbling economy, losing one of my dogs, all of it weighed so heavy on my soul. Yet through the darkness, this year also brought so many good things to my life. I got married to the most wonderful man, visited the Oregon coast for the first time, thrived in my career, and remained in good health. Out of all that impacted my life this year, the most impactful was God. I hands down nominate Him as “Heather’s Most Influential Person of the Year.” No matter what life threw at me this year, God showed up, remained faithful, and called me closer to Him than ever before. As I reflect on 2020, I see God in every single moment.
I spent more time with Him than ever before. I learned more about who He is and His desire for us through diving into His word. I learned to how to praise Him and be grateful for the things in life that really matter. He showed me the idols I held and has been working with me to keep Him at the center of my life instead of the ways of the world. He has introduced me to a whole new way of life and although I consider this to be one of my most difficult years as of late, it has also definitely been one of my best.
In many ways, this has been a year of survival. We have had to work to adapt to new regulations, shut-downs, changes in social interactions, economic loss, and an unprecedented loss of life. Many may be feeling lack luster about the upcoming year and what it may hold. It is okay to have hope. There is nothing naïve about wanting to look ahead to next year, hopeful for a year of thriving instead of just surviving. One of my favorite parts of the end of each year is creating a vision for things I want to accomplish or experience in the upcoming year. I have been doing vision boards for years now and it has become one of my favorite yearly traditions. This year, my new planner had an entire page dedicated to making a vision board, so I used that space, but in years past I have hung them on walls in my office. Vision boards give you an opportunity to shut off that negativity bias in your brain and focus on goals and dreams. They get you excited for the year to come and there is nothing wrong with taking a break from focusing on what is wrong or what hasn’t or won’t go right. Also, the more you look at this board throughout the year, the more likely you are to work towards those goals. I looked back on my 2020 goals and accomplished every single one except for two (going to Bali and visiting my grandparents in Arizona, thanks COIVD). It’s simple really, looking at them consistently reminds you to keep hustling. Below is a step-by-step guide for how I created my vision board this year, I hope you will join me and create one too!
1. Gather materials: I have used everything from giant poster board to construction paper for my vision board. Use whatever you have on hand, or whatever will work for the space you are intending to keep it in. This year I used a ton of stickers on my vision board. Gather up anything you want to decorate your board with, stickers, crayons, markers, the sky is the limit! I keep a stack of magazines for therapy projects with clients, so I always use those to cut photos out of. This year I only used one photo and printed out phrases in different fonts for my board. You can even print pictures off Pinterest if it fits your fancy. Get creative, and don’t forget the basics like scissors and glue.
2. Set the mood: I am at my sharpest mentally in the mornings, so this year I did my vision board in the morning. Pick a time that works best for you and make sure you have time. Don’t rush through this. Enjoy the process of creating your vision. Light a candle, throw on some music, get into comfy pjs, do whatever you need to set the mood.
3. Pray: After I gathered my materials and set the mood, I prayed. I prayed for God to help me see His vision for me and His intentions for my year. I asked Him to guide me to set healthy goals and to set intentions that help me lead a life that glorifies Him. If I have learned anything this year, it’s that God has way better plans and goals for me than I have ever had for myself!
4. Create: Let the fun begin! My vision board this year looked so different than past years, which I am totally okay with. In the past, my boards have been filled with glitter, pictures of models, rich textures, far away places, and a few key power words. This year, my board was the smallest it’s ever been, and had a single photo in the center with phrases I typed sprawled out around it. Somehow, this minimalist board is actually my favorite. It was created with pure intention and authenticity. I have never felt more focused and set on my goals for a new year. Once you have all of your pictures, words, or whatever you have planned for your board laid out, paste or tape!
5. Placement: Now that you have created your vision for 2021, place your board somewhere that you can easily see it. The more you see it, the more you think about it, the more you pray about it, the more you focus on putting in the work to make it happen!
Don’t forget that vision boards are just that, a vision. It doesn’t mean that every single thing on your board will come true. You must take the steps to make things happen for yourself, and sometimes our visions for ourselves can be a little skewed in relation to God’s plans (hence the pray before you create part). For example, last year my board included a picture of Bali because my husband and I hoped to honeymoon there (LLLLOOOLLL). We still honeymooned! It was just in a different place within the states (still one of the best trips of my life). It is also really cool to see how my vision for last year and this year changed. The items I put on my board this year are so much less materialistic and more centered on internal work.
Let’s not lose hope for 2021. Is there any guarantee that it will be easier? No. That’s where faith comes in. The Father will always be there to light your path as Psalm 119:105 says, “your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Keep the faith and allow yourself to hope. 2021 might throw some more wild times our way, but God is bigger than any of it, and He is on your side. My prayer for you in this new year is that you lean into God. That you surrender your life to Him and that instead of making this your year, you make this His year. I pray that you have faith enough to let Jesus take the wheel (shout out to any Carrie Underwood fans here) and trust Him enough to see what good plans He has for your life. I pray good health, love, and peace over you all. Happy new year, and God bless.