I created a vision board to manifest my dreams in 2024. Here’s what I’ve manifested so far.

(And 4 easy, actionable steps to make your own vision board.)

Hey. 

If you opened this email even after my 1-month hiatus, I appreciate you. Thanks so much. 

And particularly, a big thank you to

Rose

,

Denis Gorbunov

, and everyone who checked in on me the past month. 

That meant the world to me. 

It showed me people noticed my absence. People were worried. People were waiting to read my emails. 

That’s truly an honour. 

I don’t want to give excuses. (At least, they all sounded like excuses as I typed them onto the page.) 

But between:

• Moving to another country 

• Spending time with my brother when he visited Taiwan for a week 

• Working at a fast-paced agency, writing 1000+ words a day and managing clients

My work-life balance has been out of whack. (More on ‘work-life balance’ in a subsequent post because my view recently changed.)

The reality is, my personal writing took a backseat.

So for the writers who always stay consistent despite life's ups and downs and chaos, kudos to you.

I respect that. And I’m striving to do the same myself. 

Once again, thanks so much for being here. (No hard feelings if you unsubscribe though because of the absence.)

Now, on to this week’s edition! 

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I created a vision board to manifest my dreams in 2024. Here’s what I’ve manifested so far.

A lot can change in 6 months. Cliché, I know. But it happened to me:

January 2024, I:

• Stopped working with all my clients, so I had 0 sources of income.

• Couldn’t find a job because I didn’t 1) Speak Hungarian or 2) Have a work permit.

• Relied on my partner financially whilst I looked for clients and jobs every single day.

• Felt isolated and lonely because I hadn’t seen my family and friends in a very long time. 

• Questioned myself every day – “Did I make the wrong choice leaving teaching for writing?”

June 2024, I:

• Started working at my dream job in March.

• Am making the most money ever (for me) since I graduated.

• Came back to Taiwan to spend time with my parents, brother, relatives, and friends!

• Have plans to go to Greece in October with two friends I haven’t seen in 5 years!

• Genuinely feel so, so proud of myself for taking a risk despite people advising me it was a silly idea to (once again) leave teaching for writing. 

So… how did this change happen?

I’d say 3 things.

1. A ton of luck. I was lucky I had a partner who supported me and wanted me to be happy. I was lucky I lived with my partner and his mum, who let me live rent-free for 6 months. And I was lucky Kurogo listed a job opening when they did.

2. Faith combined with work. I doubted myself and every choice I made up until that point. I felt lost, incompetent, and like a failure every day. But still… I had faith (or at least, I had to). I had to believe something good would come out of this. So I persisted. And I showed up every day. I applied for jobs on Upwork, LinkedIn, Wellfound, and every remote job board there was. I sent cold DMs to potential clients on LinkedIn. And I continued writing online.

3. Creating a vision board at the start of the year. I’d look at it every single day in the morning after I turned on my laptop. I’d just stare at it. I’d look at every picture in detail. And I’d imagine how I’d feel once I achieved it. I kept those goals at the front of my mind and worked towards them every day.

Why did I choose to create a vision board?

Because I needed something to believe in. Something to work towards. Something that gave me hope and purpose. It was like a lighthouse for me while I was in a rut. 

What are the benefits of creating a vision board?

In my experience:

1. A vision board helps you feel more positive about life because it enables you to believe your goals and dreams are within reach.

2. A vision board helps you live each day with intention. When you have a clear direction for your life, you can take actionable steps every day to reach those goals.

3. A vision board helps you build confidence. Each time you achieve one of your goals, it gives you evidence you can do it. You are capable. You are competent. This gives you the momentum to keep going. 

4. A vision board helps you cultivate gratitude. Each time you reach a goal, you can look back on how much you’ve accomplished, thank whoever helped you get there, and feel appreciative of what you have.

How can I create a vision board?

Here’s how I created mine:

1. Figure out what you want and why — not what your family, friends, and society want. Write it down in clear detail. Be as outrageous as you can, not realistic. Why? Because even if you don’t reach those audacious goals, you’ll at least be closer to reaching them than if you hadn’t set them at all.

2. Look for pictures that represent those goals. I used good ol’ Google. Pinterest is a great tool for pictures, too.

3. Then, I went to Canva. I chose a template for my desktop – I used the Neutral Aesthetic Photo Collage Desktop Wallpaper. I uploaded all my pictures and organized them in an aesthetically pleasing way (for me) in the template. I did the same to create a vision board for my phone wallpaper.

4. I downloaded both as a PDF. Then changed the wallpapers on my desktop and phone. 😊

Here’s what I’ve manifested so far:

✅ I spent time with my dad, mum, and brother. 

✅ I have plans to reunite with my Canadian and Taiwanese friends.

✅ I feel grateful and content about my relationship with my partner. We’ll reunite in July!

✅ I’ve visited Taiwan (I’m still here). Greece and Italy are in the works! 

What’s next?

✅ I haven’t hit $10K per month yet, but I’m almost halfway there.

✅ I’ve stopped writing for Letterly, but A Joyful Life is still a priority.

✅ I’d love to visit South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Bali by the end of this year, too!

Now that I’m reflecting on the first half of 2024, I feel truly grateful for all that’s transpired thus far. I feel grateful for my relationships, my accomplishments, and my health. 

And I can’t wait to see what the next half of the year has in store. 😊

If you do create a vision board…

Feel free to let me know how it goes and what you manifest! Best of luck! 💟

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This Week’s Recommendations

• Dan Koe 2-Hour Writer — If you’ve been a subscriber for a while, you might know I’m a huge fan of Dan Koe. I love his newsletter and videos. So I finally bought the 2-Hour Writer to learn more about his content ecosystem. 

• It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us — Last night, I re-read parts of both books. I forgot how amazing they were. And I’m excited to watch the movie later this year. 

• Esther Sim’s YouTube Channel — I’ve enjoyed watching Esther’s channel for quite some time now. Her vlogs are incredibly relatable and soothing. 

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Before You Go