Cast a Vision for 2024 in Five Easy Steps

Do you really need to cast a vision for your year? Is it really that important? Can’t you just pick those goals and GO?

In this solo episode on The Secrets of Supermom Show, I am sharing…

⇒ Why you likely haven’t hit goals in the past (or maybe even set them at all)

⇒ Why you haven’t been motivated in the past

⇒ Why goals aren’t actually the goal

⇒ How to change the way you look at your year and cast a clear vision in five steps

When you have a clear vision of what you want (and don’t want) for your life, the goals become clear.

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Rather read? Check out the show notes and episode content right here!

Show Notes: Cast a Vision for 2024

Hey, hey friends! Welcome to Episode #157 of The Secrets of Supermom Show!

If we have not met before, I am so stinking thrilled you are here. And if we have met before, well welcome back my ambitious friend. 

If you are listening in real-time, we are officially 10 days away from 2024. And for many of us, we are ready to think about what we want from 2024. 

Why cast a vision anyway? Does it really matter? Why can’t I just get to my goals and set my resolutions and GO.

Well, you could. But, I have a question for you…how has that worked in the past? Did you set those goals and resolutions and hit them all, fist-pumping in the air on December 31st? Or did, somehow, those goals get less important, less top of mind, less easy…and slowly disappear this year or in previous years. 

My guess is that you simply set a random goal. Lose 20 pounds. Start a business. Read 20 books. Stop drinking so much. Be less stressed. 

When that random goal is not tied to a bigger vision, it is really hard to stay consistent even when things are easy. And when things get hard, bye-bye goal. Because setting a random goal is not the goal. Creating a life that you love, that’s where we are headed. And the goals you set should help you get there. They are the stepping stones on the path to this greater vision, not the destination. The vision…that is the destination you are headed. 

That is why we first set the vision, and then create the goals to support it. The vision you create puts purpose behind the goals you set. 

Have you ever heard where focus goes energy flows? Your vision becomes the focus to allow all your passionate energy to flow there.

If you like to nerd out on the research like I do, having a clear vision also is linked with increased hope, increased motivation, and increased optimism. Can you imagine how much easier it would be to reach your goals if you were consistently more motivated and more optimistic about your future and meeting those goals?

Can you imagine how much easier it will be to make choices, set boundaries, and make hard decisions when you have a clear vision to compare them against? The point isn’t just to have a vision but allow it to guide your way. 

So, today, I am going to walk you step by step through a process to find that vision if you have lost it entirely or clarify it if it is there but seems a bit foggy. 

You are doing things differently this year, because you know if nothing changes, nothing changes. 

This year, you are going to clarify your vision. This year you are going to create a clear path with tip toes, baby steps, and maybe even some big strides toward that vision. 

This is your year. Are you ready?

Step 1: Finding the Breadcrumbs

What do you actually want for your life? Daunting isn’t it? 

What do you want to be able to say at the end of your life? That might help clarify things a little bit, but for many of us, casting that life’s vision feels almost impossible. How can you possibly know what you want from your entire life? 

Because some of us feel pretty unclear, me included sometimes, we are going to start with a little breadcrumb expedition. You know how Hansel and Gretel dropped breadcrumbs to find their way back from the evil witch? 

We are going to do the same thing. During our lives, we have dropped little clues along the way that show us the path. So we are going to find those clues with a few quick exercises. None of these are meant to take more than 10 or 15 minutes because I want you to really find what comes first to your mind. I don’t want you to think too hard. I want you to allow the ideas to come. 

⇒ Finding the breadcrumbs of what you really want 

Think of books, magazines, Pinterest boards, projects, or activities that tend to draw you in. 

⇒ A review of your previous year and what that does for your brain

• Review your past year’s calendar
• Ask yourself…
  • Was I overscheduled?
  • What did I love doing?
  • What did I hate doing?

⇒ Key questions to ask yourself as you think about your past

• What are you tolerating that no longer serves you?
• Where are you settling?
• What would you NEVER do again if you could?
• What did I prioritize as a non-negotiable?
• Where do you feel like time stops?
• Who do you feel most yourself with?

Step 2: The “I Wish” Activity

Now that you have looked for clues and themes from the past, we are shifting our vision to the future. 

We are going to complete the “I wish…” activity, but before I tell you what this is, I want to ask you some questions that I want you to think about first.

What would you do if you woke up today and had no restrictions, no responsibilities? How would you spend your day?

Who are you in your wildest dreams?

What do you feel compelled to do in your day, your year, your life?

What would you do if nothing was holding you back?

What are your actual priorities vs. things you feel like you should or have to do?

As you think about these questions, I then want you to complete what I call the “I wish…” activity. I want you grab a sheet of paper or your journal and set a timer for 8 minutes. Then, without stopping, I want you to write, “I wish” and fill in the blank writing as many things as you can in 8 minutes. 

I wish to travel to Bali.

I wish to do a pull up in the gym.

I wish to feel energy when I wake up every day.

I wish my kitchen was renovated.

I wish to spend more quality time with my kids.

I wish to be a yoga instructor.

I wish to have 10 new clients this year.

I wish to write a book.

I wish to get a promotion.

I wish to be happy.

I don’t want you to think about what is actually possible and let that get in your way. I want you to simply see what comes up for you when you start to wish and dream. 

This is another way to find breadcrumbs and themes for what we really want from life. So, I just want you to write. 

Once you have written for 8 minutes (and if you feel the urge to keep writing, go as long as you like), I want you to read through your list and look at themes. Does travel or adventure seem to take a front seat? Are a lot of your wishes around mood and energy? Do you have business goals you didn’t realize before?

Take your 8 minutes, wish away, and look for themes. Then, we move on to Step 3.

Step 3: Visualizing Your Best Possible Self

First, I want you to think of yourself at the end of your life. This might feel morbid, but I want you to stick with me. We know from the research that the top regrets for people at the end of their lives are wishing they allowed themselves to be happier and express their true feelings, wishing they had lived a life on their terms and not by someone else’s expectations, wishing they had stayed connected, and wishing they had not worked so hard.

So, I want you to picture yourself at the end of your life with no regrets. You have lived the way you wanted to live all along. What does it feel like? What are you doing? What did you accomplish?

Now, I want you to back up to just 10 years from now. For this part I want you to close your eyes as I ask you to think about some questions (and if you are on the go, listen but come back to this part and really focus 100%).

I want you to picture yourself 10 years from now as your best possible self. The one that exists in your heart of hearts. The 100% you when no one else is around living her absolute best life. 

• How does she feel inside? What brings her absolute joy?
• How does she spend her day? Does she work? Does she have hobbies?
• Who does she spend her time with? Does she have friends, family?
• Where is she living? What does it smell like there? What can she hear where she is?
• What does she eat? What does that taste like?
• How is her health? How does she feel physcially?
• What are her finances like?
• What does she look like? Is she glowing? Strong? What is she wearing? 
• What does she think about her life? 

When you are ready and have a really clear vision of that woman 10 years from now, I want you to back up again one final time and look just one year into the future. 

How can you bring the vision you have for your end of life and 10 years from now forward to just one year from now. What could baby steps toward that vision look like in just one year?

Walk through this visualization and picture how it feels to live your best life. 

Step 4: Creating the Vision Statement

Your vision cannot just stay in your head. You can’t just think about your best life once and never again. In order to bring your vision for your best life and best self to life, it needs a plan (which we’ll get to) but it also needs to be top of mind. You need to remember that this is the reason you do what you do. The reason you move your body or eat the healthy food or take the class or put in the extra energy or hustle or rest. The vision is the reality you are moving toward. And you can’t move there if you never think about it. 

So today, we are going to create a vision statement and create a plan to keep it top of mind every day. 

If you feel called to create this statement in any way, please listen to that. If it feels right, it’s right. But just in case creating a vision statement is new to you, I am going to give you an easy fill in the blank template to use.

You are going to start with, “I am a woman who…” and then fill in the blank with who you are and/or what you do. 

Next is, “I want to…” filled with what you want do or how you what to do it.

Finally, “because I am passionate about…”

I am a woman who is strong, happy and vibrant. I want to foster connection with my family, improve my energy, and start a nonprofit because I am passionate about living a life with purpose and joy.

I am a woman who loves challenges, solves problems and helps people. I want to create opportunities to be challenged and be open to new possibilities because I am passionate about living a regret-free life.

Once you have drafted your vision statement, either using the framework or creating something of your own, I want you to create a way to see or hear this every day. If visuals are your thing, write this on a post-it note on your car dash, write it on the front of your journal, write it on the whiteboard in your office. Or…if audio is more your thing, you can use the ThinkUp app to record yourself saying these words and listen to it every day. Brilliant right?

Step 5: Bringing Your Vision to Life 

As the final step, we are going to talk about a few more ways to regularly connect with your vision, because what did I tell you yesterday? You can’t simply think of your life’s vision once, walk away forever and expect it to come to life. You have to connect with it regularly. Where focus goes, energy flows. That is one of the reasons we create a vision statement, so you can see or hear those words daily. 

My favorite way to do this is with a vision board, but not the kind where you cut random magazine pictures out (although my kids totally love those, and I am happy to go with it), I prefer to create mine digitally using Canva. I include my word of the year, images that inspire the feelings I have about my vision, my vision statement, words that remind me of my vision, goals for my year that contribute to my vision, and anything else I know will support my creation of the year. You can also use other design software like Photoshop or simply create a board on Pinterest.

In our How to Plan Your Best Year Ever Mega Workshop on January 7th, we are going to actually do this together (among so many other fun and intentional ways to plan our your best year ever). I hope you are joining us for that! (Head to secretsofsupermom.com/plan to grab your ticket!)

Once I create mine, I have it printed as a poster and hang it on the wall in my office. Having that visual vision for the life you want to create front and center really helps take the vision to the next level and prevents you from setting and forgetting it. You could also save it as a computer background, save it as your phone wallpaper, print it and sit it on your desk, stinking have it printed on a coffee mug…whatever you need to see it on the daily.

If creating a vision board with images just isn’t your thing, there are a few other ways to keep your vision top of mind. Your vision statement you created yesterday, that is one of them. Another is a mind map, where you put 2024 in the center and describe your vision in words around the year instead of images. 

Ideally, you will have a way to connect with your vision daily. However, when you plan out your week is another great way to connect with your vision and ensure that the decisions you make connect with that greater vision. 

So, what now? Once you have a clear vision, it is time to put that into action! To create goals that allow you to get there (remember goals are the path, not the destination) and make a clear plan. 

To help us know exactly what to do, I have invited some incredibly special guests to join me on the podcast starting next week. For an entire week, every day we will release a new episode with a special guest sharing How to Plan Your Best Year Ever. You do NOT want to miss this extra special series, so head to your podcast app and follow the show right now. 

I hope you have loved this episode as we have gone through the step-by-step process to create a clear vision. And if you loved it, I hope you will listen in next week and join us on January 7th for the How to Plan Your Best Year Ever Mega Workshop.

This isn’t like other workshops. We are not making resolutions that you will ditch by February. We are not asking you some questions or teaching a little strategy and then leaving you to your own devices. Nope! In this 3-hour mega workshop, we walk through the whole process live and actually put it into action. No more waiting to schedule that coffee date with yourself. This is IT!

If you are committed to making 2024 your year, I can’t wait to see you in the workshop! Head to www.secretsofsupermom.com/plan to get your seat now.