Do This Before Your Vision Board (If You Want 2026 to Actually Be Different)
three steps I'd encourage every ambitious entrepreneur to nail before they make their vision board
We’re still in that weird space before I officially go ‘back to work’ (more to say on this transition in an upcoming substack, I think). It’s a Sunday and I’ve just got back from a walk to the lake with the girls (our two labradors) and I’m sitting in the sunny spot in my office overlooking the mountains and listening to the sounds of yet another cricket game coming from the lounge.
It’s NZ summer at its best.
It really is my favourite time of year. That special energy of a new year is fully here, with the dreams and visions all floating around as potential. How good is the energy of a new year? I know that technically it doesn’t really mean anything, but I do think that there’s something in the collective intention and momentum. January is a time for the dreamers. It’s a time to ask ourselves what we truly want, to draw a line in the sand, and to step forward in the hope and faith and decision of creating it.
We love vision boards (we just want to make them ‘work!’)
I do love a fresh new vision board. (I usually make them in Canva and have one on my desktop background, and one on my phone lock screen.)
But… we all know that simply creating a vision board and hoping that the ‘new year’ will change our lives is magical, wishful thinking. It doesn’t actually do anything to change our behaviour, and sometimes, the expectation that it will, can just make us even more frustrated when we fail to meet that expectation.
I’m a big fan of being kind to ourselves when we have big ambitions, because shaming and guilting ourselves into discipline and change is one of the least productive methods for behaviour change. If human behaviour could be changed purely through will power alone, I think we would all be fitter, richer, healthier and happier. But we’re not.
How do we make a vision board work harder for us?
So… if we want to actually be kinder to ourselves, and set ourselves up for success, we need the tools. Behaviour change can be complex, and for me, ‘manifestation’ can be a little too ungrounded sometimes — so we need a middle ground, where we can play in the magic of using our minds to create our realities, and also know how to convince ourselves to make new choices. (I sometimes think of myself as a child who needs to be tricked into eating her veges, and honestly, kind of comically, it seems to work).
In this piece, I’m going to give you some of the tools that have actually worked for me over the years to make a new year vision actually ‘stick’, and to actually enjoy the process of walking out a big vision (because maybe actually this could be kinda fun if we let it?). I’ll teach you the psychology behind why these tools work, and I’ll share some resources with you if you want to dive a bit deeper.
If you’re new here and you’re asking ‘wait why would I trust this chick?’ — fair question. There’s a lot of fluffy motivational and manifestation content floating around this internet place and you’re right for asking. Well — to put it plainly… psychology and behaviour change has been my bread and butter since like… 2009. I was a behaviour therapist and consultant for years before becoming a coach, and my Master’s is in Behaviour Analysis. This is what makes me a little different as a coach.
So… if that’s enough to make you think maybe this could be worth listening to, let’s dive in.
These are the three steps that I would encourage you to take, BEFORE jumping in and creating your vision board and your goals for the year.
Step 1. PROCESS THE PAST
I don’t know about you, but any year that I’ve started in the energy of ‘thank god that one is done’ and ‘that year was a shit show’ — things haven’t gone well for me.
When I’ve started the year trying to get away from the previous one — it’s led to a lot of unaligned goals that I set just to prove I could do better.
When I’ve started out by telling myself unhelpful stories about how I’d failed or dropped the ball in the last year — it’s led to feeling pretty inadequate and struggling to believe in myself.
A couple of years ago I noticed I was in this loop in December. The normal function of our brain is to learn and remember in ways that support our survival, but unfortunately, sometimes this means that we
judge ourselves, and how we should have done something differently
compare ourselves in an attempt to know how we measure up in relation to others
create stories that are negatively biased
continue to create self fulfilling prophecies of negative expectations we hold (ground hog day)
I noticed that I was telling some SUPER unhelpful stories about the year, and myself. Like … “it’s been a tough year” or “I dropped the ball” or “maybe I’m not as good as I thought that I was” or “maybe the best days are behind me”.
The thing is — these stories were both generalised, and negatively weighted. Both of which, were not helpful lenses to hold — because I was missing out on the positive stories, lessons and truths about who I had been, and what I HAD achieved (even if it weren’t exactly what I’d wanted).
Side note: At this stage in my life I think I’m finally started to ‘get’ that if something didn’t work out the way that I wanted, it was actually probably for the best. Something better has always been created from the void. While this might not actually be how the world works, its the mindset that has made me far more resilient and detached from trying to control everything (which is pretty helpful for an eldest daughter).
When I noticed that I was telling these stories about the year, and myself, I sat down with my journal and looked at the year, objectively and truthfully.
I remembered what had actually happened.
I uncovered other truths that my brain had dismissed.
I noticed the stories I was telling myself.
I rewrote new stories, and left old meanings in the past.
I saw the truth of what the year had truly brought for me.
And I was able to step away from that journalling session truly knowing (not just bypassing) that despite the challenges… I had had a really excellent year. I knew that I was a stronger business owner, a better business coach, and because of this, I set myself up for a strong year.
I wasn’t carrying the baggage of the past; I had used the past to build a stronger me and a stronger future.
I then took those journal prompts, and created a masterclass for my clients. I called it “The Future is Bright”.
If you’d like to:
Process your year without negative bias
Rewrite unhelpful stories you’re telling yourself
Step into 2026 without baggage
You can watch The Future is Bright masterclass here (use the code ‘brightfuture’ for 50% off)
STEP 2. VALUES
More specifically… Heal your old values, and define your new values
Before we start — let’s get on the same page, because honestly, I think values have been given the WORST rap. they’re used as lip service on the walls of organisations who never actually live them.
Values are: The emotional states that you are motivated to experience on a regular basis
Or, as I like to call them ‘priorities.’
Values, are actually just your priorities.
If I could give people just ONE psychological tool, it would be to know, heal, change and then live their new values.
Why?
Because your values are creating your life, whether you like it, or know it or not.
Everything you do, is motivated by feeling a particular way, or avoiding a particular feeling.
When you understand what emotions are motivating your actions, you will see why your life is the way that it is.
Most people are living and chasing the same values that create contraction.
Contracted values (what most people chase): Safety. Certainty. Connection. Significance. Comfort. Acceptance.
And when your behaviour is motivated by these values… your life becomes very small, very safe, and usually… very unfulfilling.
So, if you want to be creating your Fortune, Fulfilled, chances are — your values probably need to change to more expanded values.
Expanded values (what creates an extraordinary life): Challenge. Uncertainty. Wealth. Freedom. Growth. Impact. Discomfort. Resilience. Pride. Awe. Adventure.
Can you just feel the difference? Contracted values keep you small and in a state of survival. Expanded values make you come alive.
How to find out what your values are: Look at where you spend your time, energy, focus and money. What emotional states are you seeking? THOSE are your values.
Now you can probably see why your life isn’t actually what you want it to be, right? And what most people do at this time of year, is set goals like — more money, experiences, better health, more wealth, business or career growth.
But there are two problems:
Those goals are usually driven from lack (trying to escape what they don’t want, not move toward what they do want)
Their values are in conflict with those goals (they’re seeking safety while chasing growth—which creates internal war)
So — our job is not to create the vision first.
It’s to first understand the old values.
Heal them, so you no longer need to seek the old ones.
Then craft the new values that create a feeling of expansion instead of constant contraction. Everyone has different values that they are drawn to — which is why we all should be living varied lives when we’re truly living our own.
Then, craft a new vision from this place. What is the life and business vision that will allow you to live those values every single day in both the creation AND experience of that vision?
Then, every single day, make decisions motivated by the values that you have held.
And each time you make those choices, actively connect with how it feels to choose, and commit to your values. This is what makes these new behaviours and choices inherently reinforcing — because of how delicious it feels.
NOTE: “healing” your values and choosing new ones goes deeper than what I can cover here. It’s the guts of our 4 week Values Transformation inside The Collective. We’re doing this work live together starting January 5th. Join us here.
Step 3. VISION.
VISION: The vision you hold for your life and business, that you’re walking towards.
When you have healed and recreated your values, you will notice that your vision naturally evolves. You’ll seek new goals that are probably different to what you inherited from your family or society. Your vision may be far bigger than you thought, or perhaps it’s actually less ambitious than you thought.
When you craft your vision from the values that make you feel most alive… this is when the quality of your life, the fulfillment you experience and the satisfaction of every moment… all deepen.
This is when you’ll redefine what success actually is for you, instead of chasing metrics and goals that simply sound good when you say them to someone else.
This is what I mean when I say “dream a bigger dream.”
It’s not necessarily a quantitatively bigger dream — but it’s bigger qualitatively.
It’s yours.
And when you get to this stage, this is when you create the vision board. This is when you get to work — aligning your internal world to the vision, and taking the simple strategic steps.
You’ll experience less friction and far more fulfillment.
This is why Values and Vision are the first two Transformations inside The Collective.
Because without this foundation, every strategy, every tactic, every goal you set will be built on shaky foundations. But WITH it? You’ll know exactly what matters to you, what you’re building toward, and why it’s worth it.
This is where you no longer need ‘discipline’ — because you have motivation for the right things.
The Collective gives you all Seven Transformations (instant access to the full curriculum) plus 28 live calls each year where I mentor you through translating these into your own life and business.
We’re starting the Values Transformation live on January 5th. Join us here.
Process past, heal values, then vision - pragmatic psychology for entrepreneurs to make 2026 ambitions stick