Setting Personal Goals Without Anxiety (Part 3)

Congratulations on pursing personal goals for 2021! If you suffer with any level of anxiety, THIS. IS. HUGE. Take time and celebrate your accomplishment, it builds momentum towards your first steps to achieving those goals! Today, we move into setting personal goals without anxiety part 3. The hard work completed, now we set ourselves up for success with some creative ways to keep our goals fresh and before us.

In Setting Personal Goals Without Anxiety Part One, we learned some basic principles. For example, how setting goals relieves anxiety, the mechanics of setting goals and pitfalls to avoid. In Setting Personal Goals Without Anxiety Part Two, I shared my proven process for actually getting the goals down on paper. But to succeed in achieving the goals we worked so hard to clarify, we’ll need the final piece to the puzzle.

motivation for achieving personal goals

Setting the goals is the hardest part for someone struggling with anxiety. But keeping those goals where you “see” them regularly, inspires you to actually work to achieve them. Over the years I found this difficult, as I didn’t want a piece of paper or open journal hanging around my desk. Yet, staying motivated and focused was impossible if I didn’t have a mechanism other than reading them everyday for keeping them visible.

Just as anxiety rears its ugly head when we think about setting goals, it re-surfaces at the thought of actually achieving those goals. One way of managing that type of anxiety is to clearly divide your goals into smaller steps. You accomplished this in Part Two, but it can still feel daunting as you begin taking those steps. That’s where having good motivation and a “vision” come into the picture. Having your goals written down alerts your brain that something needs done. “Thinking” about something does not equal “action”. But displaying those written goals where you see them, up levels your game for success.

creating a vision for personal goals

Thinking about setting personal goals without anxiety, part 3, I wanted to include ways to keep your goals visible. Creating a visual representation for your personal goals positions you for success and helps relieve anxiety. Since I started creating a visual representation of my personal goals, I am less preoccupied with the goals and succeed in achieving them. This is a form of “visualization” which is a very effective technique used by world class athletes, business leaders and even in pain management. When you provide your brain with a visual representation of your desired goal, it accepts it as accomplished and seeks “evidence” to prove it. What that means is, your brain doesn’t know it’s “only a goal”, but sees it as done. As such, it begins to influence your actions to provide the evidence of the achievement.

Creating a vision board offers a fun way to visualize your goals, provide motivation and keep you focused. It’s easy, and you can use a variety of ways to make one. Let’s explore some of the ways you can create a vision board together and then you can enjoy coming up with a unique idea of your own. But first a few ground rules for creating any type of visual presentation for your goals.

Rules of the Game

A vision board includes visuals related to your stated goals. These are not just “pictures” of what you want. Simply putting a picture of the end result doesn’t help you get there because your brain thinks you already have. It’s best to picture things that are part of the process. For example, part of my wellness goal for 2020 was to make better food choices and add more activity to my daily life. Part of my created visual included pictures of healthy foods, and various pictures of people walking, stretching and other activities.

Also, it’s great if you include more than pictures. My boards include Bible verses, inspirational quotes, words related to my goal and even physical items. Size can vary. I used a poster board in 2020, but I have used smaller sizes that fit in picture frames, or cardstock that I put on a bulletin board.

Crafty Vision Board for goals

I call this the crafty vision board because it’s old school cutting out pictures, pasting and decorating; it’s also my personal favorite. The sky’s the limit for this board! You can make it on poster board, smaller card stock to place on a bulletin board, or in a picture frame.

• Cut out pictures from magazines or print out photos from the internet.
• Use your own photos.
• Type out or write out Bible verses that go with your goals.
• Type out or write out inspirational quotes.
• Design “words” by drawing, or typing on the computer and printing. Make them key words for your goals, and make them bold and colorful. If you have a “word of the year” include that on your board.
• Arrange according to your own style. I like a collage mixed with pictures, words, verses and quotes, with my word of the year right in the center. Pictures can be clean cut, jagged or ‘torn”.
• Use a particular color “theme” for the whole board or mix and match.

Digital Vision Board for goals

Creating a physical vision board may not appeal to you. You can still enjoy the benefit by making a digital one. You can then use it as a slideshow on your computer or desktop wallpaper.

• Collect pictures from the internet and using a program like Canva, Adobe Photo, Photoshop or Microsoft Publisher, create a project collage that you like.
• Include personal photos or shared photos.
• Add words and quotes or make a separate digital board for those.
• Create a goal specific board in Pinterest. This is great of you have an accountability partner, you can share ideas.

Scrapbook Style vision board for goals

Also a favorite of mine, a scrapbook style vision board has many possibilities. You can create a whole book themed by your goals. List your goals at the beginning, then create a page or more for each goal. Leave room for notes you can add later.

• Cut out pictures from magazines or print out photos from the internet.
• Use your own photos.
• Draw, paint or color pictures to include.
• Type out or write out Bible verses that go with your goals.
• Type out or write out inspirational quotes.
• Design “words” by drawing, or typing on the computer and printing. Make them key words for your goals, and make them bold and colorful. If you have a “word of the year” include that in your scrapbook.
• “Decorate” with personal items, stickers or other scrapbook appropriate add ins.

Setting Personal Goals Without Anxiety

You can choose many ways of keeping your goals before you, but I highly recommend a vision board of some sort. A vision board can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. I chose creating a vision board as the final piece to setting personal goals without anxiety (part 3) for two reasons. First, it provides a unique visual reminder of your goals that you can keep anywhere. Even if you create a poster, snap a picture of the finished board and you have it on your phone for viewing anytime. Second, seeing visual reminders of your goals helps relieve anxiety. It gives visual evidence to your brain that you have a plan, and you can “see” where you’re going.

A vision board is also flexible, and you can update or change it as needed when you do your monthly review. Now that we have walked through setting personal goals without anxiety part 3, you can confidently move forward. Prayerfully considering your goals without rushing, and aligning your desires with God’s purposes gave you the perfect start. Designing a plan for monthly review keeps you on track and creating a visual representation of your goals keeps you motivated and focused.