I’ve never made a vision board before. Like, ever. Or, at least, not intentionally. I do have some faint memories of cutting up magazines and pasting the cut outs to a piece of paper but I don’t think there was any real reason behind it, other than boredom.

But I came across a vision board that Mind. Beauty. Simplicity put together a few days ago and I felt really inspired. I feel really focused right now and I have a lot of plans this year. I think actually having a vision board will keep me focused and stop me from adding to much to my plate this year.

This vision board was partially inspired by my post about what I do instead of setting new years resolutions. It was actually the starting point and then I just added on from there.

And now, I give to you, my 2022 vision board, which I created in Canva…

Starting at the top left corner and going clockwise, I’ll tell you what all of these elements mean to me.

1. “We don’t need more. We need to want less.”

This phrase came to be a while back when I was writing about 15 ways to live more simply and it’s been my personal motto ever since. It’s a personal goal for me to want to own and acquire less. It comes down to finding contentment with the things that I already have and reprogramming myself to want less in the porcess.

2. Less waste.

I first dabbled in zero waste living at the beginning of 2018. I read books. I watched youtube videos. I was all in. I made a lot of swaps (see the ones that have survived here). I also tried to give zero waste grocery shopping a go but it didn’t end up being sustainable for me in the long run. That’s a pretty ironic use of words there, huh?

But I would really like to give it another go. Maybe not entirely. I found it to be quite stressful and expensive to shop this way for a family of 4 but I’d like to incorporate ways to reduce our packaging waste. I plan to shop at the local coop for fruits and veggies during the colder months and to be a regular visitor to the farmers market in the warmer ones.

3. Write here more.

I really love to write. It’s my favorite creative outlet. There’s something about putting your thoughts out into the world and having them connect with other people. And thank you, so much, for reading them! You’ll never know how much I appreciate it.

I feel like I diverted away from my original goal with this blog. It started off as a blog about minimalism. Then it morphed into a blog about slow fashion, primarily. But now, I want to shift the focus back to slow living in general, which encompasses all those things.

I feel more at peace with this new direction and I’m feeling inspired to spend more time here.

4. Eat less meat.

Over the past year, our family has reduced our meat consumption by at least half. The fact that one of my kids doesn’t really like it (the texture and the idea) means that we have been eating more meat free meals. Pesto pasta is a huge hit. It’s a super simple and delicious recipe that everyone likes and takes about 15 mins to make. It’s a win-win for everyone, but especially me!

If you have any meatless meals that you love, please share them in the comment section. They’d be much appreciated!

5. Continue to declutter for a smaller house in the future.

While we’re in no hurry to move, I eventually want to move our family into a smaller house. When we moved into our current home, we were extremely different people. We thought more was more and bigger was better. Those were the days when I had a lot of clothes and a lot of other possessions.

While I don’t feel like our house is too big for us, we definitely don’t need as much space as we have. We actually turned my old walk in closet into an office during lockdown and now it’s a music room.

As much as I love our house that we’ve been lucky enough to put our stamp on, I’m feeling a pull towards a more historical home with some character.

6. Enjoy the outside more.

I wouldn’t classify myself as an outside person. Actually, I affectionately refer to myself as an indoor cat :). I’m happiest in my house where it’s temperature controlled and there’s a constant supply of coffee/tea and snacks.

But I do like nature. Or maybe I like the idea of being out in nature. I’m going to explore that thought further this year. I’m going to enjoy the snow and cold of winter. And I’m going to try really hard to enjoy sweating through summer while trying to avoid burns and tan lines. Ok, I am definitely going to need to psych myself up more when summer gets closer!

7. Enjoy my current wardrobe.

If you read this post, then you know I’m doing a low buy year. And if you didn’t, well now you do :). Go check it out…it has a free printable!

Even though I don’t buy a ton of clothes anymore, and I mostly buy secondhand, I still feel like I’m constantly adding “new” things to my wardrobe. I’d like to just stop and appreciate the things that I already have. I feel really ready for this challenge!

8. Explore digital creativity more.

I definitely want to improve my photography skills more this year. And I also think I want to try my hand at making videos. I think either would be a good addition or extension of this space that would allow me to share more with you.

9. Imperfect.

My guiding word of the year.

And something that every item on this vision board will be.

I want to show up here, not as my perfectionistic self wants to, but how my realistic self needs to. I have done a lot of my simple living growth behind the scenes, only sharing the end result. But there’s so much beauty and growth in the in-between. I want to share that.

And maybe we can do some growing together this year.

Whew, that was a long one. If you read all the way to the end of this, thank you!

I’d love to know if you do a vision board or if you’re feeling inspired to create one?