Since I was a child, I’ve been encouraged to set goals and do what I need to do – whatever it took – to accomplish them.

Whether it was getting an “A” in a class, landing my first (or second, or third) job, being accepted to college, earning my master’s degree, studying abroad, moving to a new city, starting my business… it started with having a goal. Once I had the goal, I had to envision accomplishing it. Sometimes, that included making a plan for getting there. Other times it was simply doing what it took – staying at practice longer than everyone else, constantly reading and writing to improve my craft, setting up my Upwork profile to begin my freelancing career.

Recently I’ve been taking a long, hard look at my life and what my next goals are. I’ve accomplished a lot in my 27 years so far, and this year has been a whirlwind both physically and emotionally. As I check things off my bucket list, such as formalizing my consulting business, I’ve realized it’s time to set my next one, five and even 10 year goals, in addition to focusing on the next 3-6 months.

Most of the time, I make a list of my goals. This week, I tried something different.

Have you ever heard of vision boarding? It’s when you cut or print photos of what you want in your life, or how you want your life to be, and pin it on a board where you can look at it every day. I had a vision board once – house, car, engagement ring, family, beach condo, a book with my byline. I still have many of those goals. They say visualizing your goals is a great way to accomplish them. But after reading the book You Are a Writer (so start ACTING like one) by Jeff Goins, I had another plan.

His words encouraged me to start writing again for the sake of writing, because I love it, with no rules or purpose. As I sat at my desk and thought about it, I was encouraged with an idea – to develop a vision board, but with words.

A vision immediately flooded my mind. Waking up (no alarm) next to my boyfriend, our dog at my feet. Tip-toeing out of bed, puttering across our kitchen and living room, to the back patio sliding door. Opening it. A gush of salty sea air hitting my face. Journaling and meditation on the porch with a cup of coffee, sun in my face. Gathering my things and walking down to the beach. Setting up my spot, and opening my laptop to check emails and log time for my clients. The vision is my family five years from now, living in our little beach house in the Carolinas, freelancing full time and living the life I’ve always dreamed.

As I wrote, 3,000 words poured from my fingertips. I felt myself being embodied by my vision. I embraced my thoughts and the feeling of pure joy and excitement to be living the life I’ve imagined. It made me excited and to be honest, I got a slight thrill. Butterflies in the pit of my stomach. It was exhilarating to envision my life the way I want it to be, and write about it as it is truth. I imagined a future journal entry celebrating how far I’ve come accomplishing my goals and it felt amazing.

I’ve decided I’m going to make this at least weekly personal development time. Taking time to focus on building and envisioning my goals will help me prepare for them better and accomplish them faster.

REFLECTION: How do you keep track of your goals? What do you to do work toward accomplishing them? What goals are you working toward now? Leave your story in the comments!