Ready for 2025? Visions or Prayers?

I know 2024 isn't over yet but everyone is so over this year

I wasn’t able to write to you last week because I was “working my ass off” like the English say. But I’m writing to you now so that counts. You would definitely be getting two emails from me by God’s grace because I have so much to share and so much to say.

I’m currently on my way to London to rest a bit ( you might be wondering why London? Don’t you have a house in Manchester? What do you mean rest in London?). Well it’s a bit of leisure and pleasure. I am going for work and going to hangout with my secondary school besties . I’m excited and would definitely write about it in my email to you.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m taking a very needed and intentional break off Instagram and because you are the people I’d write to weekly I’m going to say why in one sentence- “The pressure is getting wesser”

I’m sure you read it in that man’s voice.

Apart from the obvious fact that I am tired from showing up for 1 year straight on Instagram and posting my diary entries, I open Instagram everyday and I see that one of my friends or people I know post about them having a baby, getting engaged, getting married, moving to a new country or hitting one goal in their life and I’m left wondering, what about me? What am I achieving? When is it going to be me?

I find myself comparing myself and no matter how much I shake it off or try not to dwell on it, it still lingers in my 3am thoughts at night. I don’t like feeling that way about myself at all. I start to question God and feel one sort of way and i have to say God showed off with babies this year and if you are someone on my list trusting God for your own baby or you are praying for someone who is trusting God for theirs, The Lord will show off in their lives in 2025. Amen.

I just needed a break and my parents were always asking me if I was seeing anyone or what about marriage and the pressure was just too much. I just needed a break so I took on. I knew I couldn’t leave Instagram without an explanation so I made the post about why I was leaving, well some of it because I don’t want advice from some of our internet aunties and uncles because some of them are unsolicited so I’m not interested.

Now let’s talk about today’s topic. How to get ready for 2025.

Have you made your vision board yet? If you haven’t not to worry after this email you would be on your way to making one. Let’s talk about how to create a vision board that actually works.

my 2023 Vision board

Start by organising your goals into categories: Break your goals into different areas of your life, such as Health, Career, Relationships, Personal Growth, Finances, Academics, Family, Home etc. List the specific goals for each category. Be very specific. For instance, instead of “money” under finances, write “job at Company A paying $X per year.” Clarity is key when creating your vision boards.

Next find visuals that represent your goals: Search for images that resonate with your wants. You can look on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Google Images, or in magazines. Now, I use pictures of people that I know or follow on Instagram that have achieved a goal I intend to achieve or a place I want to be.

After which you want to find affirmations and words that describe your next era. The best places to find these words are on Pinterest and Instagram. Add these affirmations and quotes to your vision boards. These are some of the ones I use.

It’s now time to assemble your vision board. There are different ways to create a vision board. You can create a digital vision board with Canva or another design app to create a vision board you can set as your phone or computer wallpaper. This ensures you see it daily, no matter where you are. You can also print your images and stick them on a board to hang on your wall or place them around your room.

You can also save all your chosen images to a dedicated Pinterest board. The format doesn’t matter as long as you can view it regularly.

KEEP THIS IN MIND

1. Aesthetics Aren’t Important: Your vision board doesn’t need to look “Instagram-worthy.” It’s a personal tool for you, so don’t worry about perfection. Messy or minimal. It’s entirely up to you! No one has to see it. You don ‘t need to post it!

2. Take Action: A vision board is not magic. You need to back up your dreams with action. For instance, if you have gym pictures on your board but never make time to work out, the pictures alone won’t help. Set systems and routines to achieve what you’ve envisioned.

3. Detach from the Outcome: Here’s the most overlooked step: let go of needing your desires. If you’re too attached or fearful of not achieving them, you create resistance. Trust that everything will fall into place, and focus on the process, not the outcome.

4. Prayerfully work TOWARDS IT: It’s just a vision board with goals you want to work towards. If you don’t pray while you work towards these goals, you are just manifesting, and that’s a sin. We don’t want that.

Now that we know how to create a vision board, let’s turn it to a prayer board. Transforming your vision board into a prayer board is a beautiful way to connect your dreams and goals with your faith, aligning them with God’s purpose for your life.

It allows you to actively invite God into every area of your life, surrendering your desires while trusting His guidance and timing.

1. Start with Prayer: Before you begin, spend time in prayer to seek clarity. Ask God to reveal His plans for you and align your heart with His will. Pray for wisdom to set goals that reflect His purpose.

2. Organise your goals into prayer categories: Like a vision board, categorise the areas of your life you’re praying about.

• Spiritual Growth: Deepen my relationship with God and stay consistent in prayer and Bible study.

• Health: I go to the gym weekly and care for my emotional well-being.

• Career/Finances: Seeking wisdom, favour, and provision in my career or business.

• Relationships: Praying for a future spouse.

• Personal Growth: Developing character traits like patience, discipline, or confidence

3. Write down specific prayer requests for each category: Instead of “better finances,” write, “Lord, provide opportunities for me to earn $XXX monthly while glorifying You.”

   For health: “God, give me the strength to maintain a healthy lifestyle and heal areas of my body that need restoration.”

4. Add Scripture Verses to these prayer points: For every goal or category, include Bible verses that speak to God’s promises or encourage you to trust Him. For example: Finances: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

5. Incorporate these scriptures into your vision board: Match every scripture to each section of your vision board, and if you designed this digitally, just add it as an overlay.

   

   My 2023 prayer board

6. Start a prayer journal: Create a prayer board inside a notebook, allowing you to expand on your prayers as you go. Maybe sometime in 2025, I will teach the process of creating a prayer journal that will help you come closer to Abba and pray daily.

7. Review and Pray Daily: Your prayer board is a living tool for your faith journey. Dedicate time each day to praying over it, thanking God for what He’s done and what He’s going to do.

   Reflect on His faithfulness and adjust your prayers as He works in your life.

8. Trust God and Surrender: The key difference between a vision board and a prayer board is surrender. While vision boards often focus on manifesting, a prayer board focuses on trusting God’s will. You’re not just visualising your goals, you’re submitting them to God, knowing He works all things for your good (Romans 8:28).

By turning your vision board into a prayer board, you’re not just dreaming, you’re growing in faith, aligning with God, and trusting Him to lead you to the life He’s designed for you.

That’s all I have for you today and I am sorry for not writing to you last week. if I don’t write to you agin this week then i would definitely be writing to you next week. Thanks for keeping me accountable. Looking forward to hearing that you have created your prayer boards.

Love always, Omobolaji.