The official reset of the year has happened—welcome to 2025, folks. I was talking to my brother the other day (he’s a gym rat, bless him) and he was whining about how his gym was going to be swarmed with the “new year, new me” crowd. You know the type—ecstatic about taking their fitness seriously for maybe a month tops.
Honestly, I get where he’s coming from. New Year’s resolutions have become this cultural trap that promotes toxic, high-pressure performance metrics that are often ambitious to the point of being unattainable, leading to feelings of guilt and inadequacy when we inevitably fall short. It reminded me of why I quit resolutions a couple of years ago. You’d think, problem solved right? Not exactly.
As someone who thrives on a good to-do list, abandoning resolutions left me feeling untethered. No goals, no milestones, no purpose. I became the very definition of “lost and confused,” an endearing nickname I earned from my mother when I was floundering to answer someone’s invasive question about my future goals. While the nickname wasn’t entirely wrong, I did have aspirations—just not the kind that neatly fit into the rigid frameworks of traditional goal-setting. Advice like “make your goals specific and measurable” left me feeling blank. I was operating more on vibes than on actionable plans: “ Fall in love, live a bright, colourful, chaotic, full life, get rich, be happy, get a famous musician to dedicate an album written to me, etc etc.” You get the gist.
This is where Eli Rallo, my Tiktok queen, sparked the idea. She has these “ins” and “outs” lists that she curates for all sorts of things and like a fairy godmother, right around the beginning of December, the one about vision boards and her rules for them popped up. I specifically loved the idea about setting aspirations instead of a ticking time bomb because more often than not, life gets in the way. It’s okay if your intentions are an ongoing process and take longer to achieve than one calendar year. The important step is to start. Which is how I ended up making my first ever vision board for 2025.Â
What Is a Vision Board?
At its core, a vision board is a visual representation of your aspirations and the life you want to build for yourself. Think of it as a creative roadmap—an assortment of images, quotes, and symbols that capture your goals, values, and dreams. Unlike the rigidity of traditional resolutions, vision boards are fluid and inspiring. They serve as a daily reminder of what you’re working toward without the weight of strict deadlines or unattainable standards. Instead of fixating on the “how,” you focus on the “why”. Personally, I find that it’s the perfect mix of structure but also fluidity that I’m looking for – it keeps my goals top of mind while reminding me to focus on building habits rather than obsessing over results. Plus, it’s ideal for my short attention span, which life hack: hang your vision board somewhere you pass frequently, so it becomes an unconscious reinforcement for your brain!
How I’m Using Vision Boards This Year
This year, I took some time to reflect on what truly matters to me. What would make my life feel bright, bold, colourful and chaotic? It wasn’t “going to the gym five days a week” Instead, I focused on intentions, like prioritizing movement that feels good because, let’s be honest, HOT GIRLS ARE DOING PILATES. I’ve fallen back in love with long form writing and I really want to find my voice this year. So what went on my vision board to reflect that? Incorporating writing as a habit into my everyday life and publishing every so often. Case in point – this article.
So, I’ve replaced resolutions with aspirations. My vision board isn’t just a collection of aesthetically pleasing images; it’s a visual representation of the life I want to cultivate. It reminds me to focus on the process rather than perfection and to care for myself because I deserve it, not because I’m chasing an idealized version of success.Also, at the end of the day, it’s truly about curating the vibes because – let’s face it- I’m just a girl trying to live out her 20s that her younger self would gape in disbelief if she ever saw that her dream life had become her reality.Â
Bottom line, if New Year’s resolutions work for you, that’s fantastic. But if they leave you feeling defeated by the end of January, consider an alternative approach. Vision boards offer a more flexible, inspiring way to set intentions for the year ahead. Let 2025 be about growth, love and building a life that feels good and not just one that looks good on social media. And if you’re feeling a little directionless like me? Don’t worry. We’re figuring it out together. Hot girls may do Pilates, but smart girls? They chart their own course.