Happy New Year! I hope your 2017 is off to an incredible start and you have yet to abandon all the resolutions you took the time to write down or post on social media in the last three weeks.

2016 was an incredible year for me. I received a promotion at the full-time gig, traveled to a few new countries, grew spiritually, shared amazing moments with my family and friends, and most memorably, took a leap of faith and launched Blessed Little Bungalow! After a bit of a rough NYE, I decided I wouldn't allow one moment to distract me from all the good days that came before it and those coming this year. So earlier this month, I decided to host a vision board party at my home with a handful of my favorite women around San Antonio!

So you may be wondering, what's a “vision board” and why does it require a party? A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on a specific life goal displaying words, images and visuals that represent what you wish to accomplish. It's an opportunity to publish your resolutions and expand your focus on each of them. Why create a vision board? Well, a wise man once said, “If you want to commit to something, write it down! Because once it's on paper, it becomes real.” That's right. The purpose of your vision board is to bring everything on it to life. I'm a to-do-lister, agenda book addict and journal lover. I write down my prayers in a specific book, my tasks on a particular notepad and my notes on anything I can get my hands on in or out of the office. So naturally, I thought the idea of a vision board was superb! Once you have a list of goals you'd wish to accomplish in the New Year, you should rank them in order of importance and make sure they are S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based). After all, there's no reason to say you want to lose weight without knowing exactly how many pounds, how soon and how you'll actually lose it! Financial Freedom Guru, Dave Ramsey loves to preach about S.M.A.R.T. goals and often says that you need to identify your “Why” to keep you motivated and moving at gazelle-pace towards it. Consider the vision board a colorful display of your “Why.” Oh yeah, and why have a party? Well, who doesn't love a good house party!?

Now you may ask yourself, what does any of this have to do with anything (besides giving you the idea of hosting such an event in your own home)? Well BLB was once only a vision. It wasn't displayed on a vision board, but it's something I wrote down, prayed over and believed in. All of the goals for my life in 2017 - demolishing debt, creating healthier habits, building my career and business, and eliminating life's clutter - are just the same. So instead of just creating a vision board with my dog, Ralph staring at me from a distance, I decided to reach out to several women I knew from work, church, my sorority and friends to see if they'd be interested in creating their own along with me! We gathered at BLB around 7 PM last Thursday night. I prepared platters of chicken (actually, Chick-fil-A did that), fruit, veggies, chips, salsa, guacamole and beverages for my guests and we snacked, laughed and shared our 2017 dreams and goals with one another. I was happy to connect so many of the women who were strangers previous to their arrival. As we cut words and photos out of magazines and dabbled our fingers in glitter, glue sticks and markers like school children, we spent hours building relationships with newly-found accountability partners. I didn't end up completing my vision board that evening, but wrapped it up later that weekend. My goals were categorized by self-worth, love of life, faith, travel, career, entrepreneurship, health and finances. Here's a little peek at the great time we had and my own 2017 vision board:

I couldn't have asked for a better group of women to host at my home! I look forward to having more girls' nights and building a bible study/book club/support group/or whatever we decide to call it with them for many more inspirational evenings. It is so important to pour into people's lives, identify and motivate our potential and build one another up. I look forward to seeing what this grows into and hosting my 2nd Annual BLB Vision Board Party this time next year!

As I settle in for the night, I want to leave you with this scripture:

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 21:22

I pray that each of you have a remarkable and prosperous new year! It's never too late to start fresh, start over or just START! Whatever you want for yourself, I urge you to ask for it in prayer. Write it down. Make it real. Chase your dreams. Believe it's already yours. And praise God the entire way. :-)

Be blessed,
ACG

Sources and Helpful Links:

What is a Vision Board?

The Reason Vision Boards Work and How to Make One

Vision Night: How to Host a Vision Board Party