Planning is
The New Year can be such a hectic time of year.
That’s why it’s important to narrow your focus and keep your goals concise, actionable, and of course, simple. I’m not gonna lie, I’m the absolute worst with keeping resolutions. So I stopped making them.
Instead, I embraced my flaws more and took another approach to accomplishing the lifestyle changes I wanted. Being more reflective about my year and how I could’ve moved differently makes a big difference in goal setting for me.
The true game changer was envisioning myself. Like, how do you really visualize the future?
I’ve always heard people talk about vision boards. I even have friends who made digital vision boards to put as background pics on their phones. The idea is to create something visual to remind you that this is what you're working towards, but if you’re anything like me…seeing it doesn’t help. I could have all the pictures and reminders in the world and it just wouldn’t feel real.
My challenge was moving from the physical to the manifesting stage of creating my vision. I truly did not understand the power behind visualizing where you wanted to be in life until I included God in the process. I struggled with walking by faith, not by sight.
I had my breakthrough in 2022.
When I was still working as a behavioral technician.
I still remember this day like it was yesterday. I was on my lunch break chatting with my best friend about our jobs. In hindsight, although we were complaining about our current jobs and how we wanted something new, my spirit was stirring up something within me.
Something inside me was off, misaligned. I didn’t know what, but I knew it was time for a change. Sometimes we can ignore those feelings and that ultimately puts us in a position of discontent and resentment. Which is why we were having our daily venting session to begin with.
“I just want to use my degree, I’m trying to break into my field,” he said. “This ain’t it.”
My friend was working at the bank when he wanted to get into marketing, he had the degree now he just needed the job. We were discussing different jobs when he mentioned copywriting.
“What’s that?” I asked. I thought he was talking about copyrighting (not copywriting) until he explained that it was writing for marketing brands and companies. That moment is when the seed was planted.
It’s funny how God works through people.
He’ll take small talk and turn it into a life-changing discovery. That’s exactly what our conversation did for me that day. I went home and researched all I could about copywriting, it was right up my alley. I learned early on that writing was one of the talents God blessed me with, and I needed to start investing time into honing it.
It was up to me to make something out of my talent.
So, I prayed on it.
I put Him first before I even started my copywriting journey. Old me would act first and ask questions later, but this time I was moving intentionally with my career because I felt spirit-led. When my spirit is nudging me towards a decision or choice, my first step is to ALWAYS seek confirmation.
I do this by writing out my vision and praying for God to reveal if my plans are aligned with His. Start your year off strong with my goal-setting planner tailored to creating Godly Goals.
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When you include Him in your process from the start, He will pave the way for you to the finish line.
Through prayer about my transition, I heavily relied on my faith. Learning to walk by faith led me to invest in an accredited copywriting course that would give me the foundation I needed to launch my career. I envisioned myself as a writer and my goal became breaking into the marketing industry for agency experience.
This shift in mindset, paired with direction from God, helped me take the steps to create my portfolio, conduct thorough research about my role, and land several interviews. I trusted Him through the process, and He delivered positive results.
When you move in your calling and include God in every step along the way, you’ll successfully create a vision and fulfill your goals. There is power in visualizing where you want to be in life. Once I chose to partner with God, He began to tailor my thoughts to His plan and transform my process.
Within that same year, I transitioned from being a behavioral tech to a copywriter at a local agency. My friend and I landed our positions around the same time. He was shocked by how quickly I secured a copywriting role without having a true marketing background (collegiately at least).
“Favor,” I told him. “No one but God got me to this point.”
It was incredibly eye-opening. It took a lot of patience and trust in Him. I knew allowing God the space to work in my life would not only solidify my faith, but it would take my goal-setting to the next level.
I also learned the importance of breaking old habits.
I used to act on a whim under the guise of spontaneity when it was just irresponsibility. This led to a lack of boundaries in my life; I ran ragged for others, constantly overextended myself, and severely lacked time management (still do if we’re being honest 🫠 but I’m a work in progress). God knew I needed growth in these areas before He could bless me with more. I paid close attention to where patterns of old behavior would try to resurface and nipped it immediately.
I wasn’t going to move into a new season of my life with old energy.
I knew I wanted a change and that change needed to start with myself.
I constantly prayed for God to reveal areas of my life and thoughts that needed correction, so I could mold myself to fit the new lifestyle I envisioned. It’s hard work putting up the mirror, but it can be done.
I quickly realized God was creating the space for me to change and the growing pains were tough. I couldn't operate the same way I did with previous roles, it was an entirely new environment I had to adapt to. I was eager and excited for this opportunity, so I was prepared to put in the work.
Fast forward to today, I’m thriving with a growing portfolio and opportunities for advancement in my career. God did that, and I learned to fully hand Him the wheel when it comes to steering my life. Relinquishing patterns of behavior that no longer served me was crucial.
As the New Year approaches, consider this:
What space do I envision myself in next year?
What do I need to let go of/what no longer serves me?
What are ways I can give God the freedom to move in my life?
Don’t move into the New Year with old energy.
My prayer for you is that you create your vision with God at the forefront of your plans. As you start thinking about what you’re ready to accomplish in 2024, write down your vision, take steps to include God in your process, and move with intention.
“Write the vision and make it plain… Because it will surely come” Habakkuk 2:2-3 (KJV)
