Episode 55: Start Off 2021 with a Word, Goals and a Vision Board - It's Important!
New year, new bears in Vonda's driveway (really — three black bears on the neighborhood Ring feed), and a new tradition to share. This week Vonda and Lori dig into three tools for pointing your year in the right direction: a word of the year, goals that actually get booked, and a vision board that is only about you. As they put it, the first step to creating anything you want is self-awareness and specific intentions — and each of these tools builds exactly that.
How a ruined view became a word of the year
Lori's word-of-the-year habit started with a disappointment. Years ago at a Christmas resort stay in Punta Cana, she opened the curtains of her ocean-view room to find... an alley, clotheslines, and a stranger's backyard. The room couldn't be changed, so she had a choice: pout all week, or drink her coffee on that balcony anyway. By day three she was invested in the family across the alley — the tireless laundry operation, the man ferrying people to work one at a time on a motorcycle — and by the end of the week she was praying for them. The word that came to her was perspective, and she's chosen a word from the heart every year since.
This year Lori's word is breathe — physically, after months of long-COVID struggles, and mentally, emotionally, and spiritually too. Vonda's word is discover: less racing through the to-do list, more noticing — whether that's sitting in the audience at a symposium instead of running the workroom, or finally learning to use her mother's embroidery-capable sewing machine. The challenge to listeners: let your own word marinate. It doesn't have to make sense to anyone but you.
Vision board rules: be selfish, stay positive
Lori's crash course came from a Saturday-morning virtual vision board party led by Dr. Nicole Price — which Lori attended having read none of the details, so while everyone else had poster board, magazines, and glue, she improvised with a free Canva account and her Pinterest boards. Two rules govern the board:
Rule one: be selfish. This board is about you — not the shop, not the kids. For working women especially, that mindset takes real reframing, but two hours of thinking only about what you want turns out to be powerful. Rule two: no negative words. Not "lose weight" — "healthy choices." The board exists to inspire, not scold. And make a physical version if you can: Dr. Price hangs hers in her closet where she sees it every morning, because there's something about looking at a thing you made while thinking about who you want to be.
Why a board beats a list of goals
Three reasons, from Lori's research and experience. First, it keeps you from getting distracted — highly successful people say no far more than they say yes, and the board is the filter: if an opportunity doesn't align with anything on it, the answer is no. ("Sorry, it's not me — it's my vision board.") Second, it forces prioritizing. Third, it helps you plan your future — one author argues everyone should be able to envision themselves in five years, and the hosts note how many shop owners genuinely can't. The board also converts visions into bookable goals: Lori's board says travel, so she stopped waiting and booked a Colorado Airbnb for July. The Amalfi Coast photo stays on the board for another year — nothing is set in stone, and unmet visions roll forward if they're still on your heart. Vonda sums it up with a favorite proverb: vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.
New for 2021: The Inside Story
The show is adding a weekly segment pulled from the Flower Clique members' group — the most-asked question of the week. This week's, with Valentine's Day looming: how early can you start pre-greening? Vonda's answer: about a week to ten days out, depending on whether you're working in foam or water — and if it's plain water, plan to change it before designing and sending. (Pre-filling vases with water, though, buys you no real advantage.) The closing question got a refresh too: "What's giving you life?" is now "Who or what inspired you this week?"
Key takeaways
- Choose a word of the year from the heart, not the head — it guides decisions by keeping your intention in view.
- Make a vision board that's only about you: be selfish, keep every word positive, and post it where you'll see it daily.
- Use the board as your "no" filter — if a request doesn't align with it, decline without guilt.
- Turn visions into short-term, bookable goals; small wins build belief for bigger ones.
- Valentine's prep tip: start pre-greening a week to ten days ahead, and refresh plain water before designing.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist