How to Clarify Your Values and Priorities for the Year Ahead

Written By Cora Taylor

DISCLAIMER: This post is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care or medical advice. Reading this does not create a therapist–client relationship. If you are in crisis or need immediate help, contact 988.

Many people come into therapy saying some version of: “I know I want things to be different, but I don’t know what I actually want.” If that resonates, traditional goal setting can feel overwhelming or even discouraging.

One optional tool some people find to be a helpful starting point is a vision board—not as a way to manifest outcomes, but as a structured way to notice what consistently draws your attention before setting goals. Used intentionally, a vision board is less about manifesting and more about values clarification, which research shows is a key driver of sustainable behavior change and psychological well-being (Hayes et al.).

Personally, I don’t believe things will just manifest if we visualize it enough. But I do believe that if we have a clear vision of what we want, it’s more likely we will find it.

What a Vision Board Is (and What It Isn’t)

A vision board is a way to explore direction, not a list of things you must accomplish.

It can help you:

  • Clarify values when words feel hard to find

  • Reconnect with motivation, especially if you’re burned out

  • Explore identity shifts (who you’re becoming, not just what you’re doing)

  • Reduce pressure to “get goals right” immediately

A vision board is not:

  • A contract with yourself

  • A measure of ambition or success

  • A replacement for planning or action

  • A guarantee that life will unfold a certain way

In therapy terms, a vision board supports meaning-making, not performance.

Step 1: Set a Grounding Intention

Before you begin, remind yourself:
This exercise is about curiosity, not commitment.

You are not deciding the rest of your life. You are simply asking:

“What feels important enough to pay attention to right now?”

Approaching this with openness—rather than urgency—makes it far more useful.

Step 2: Choose a Simple Format

Your vision board can be:

  • A physical board with images or words, making a collage from magazines

  • A digital board (Canva, Pinterest, Notes app)

  • A single page in a journal where you’re just writing out your thoughts

There is no evidence that more elaborate boards work better. The benefit comes from reflection, not aesthetics.

Step 3: Use Values-Based Starter Questions

As you journal or look for images/words, use questions that invite depth rather than comparison:

  • When do I feel most like myself?

  • What do I want more space for in my life?

  • What feels nourishing rather than impressive?

  • What would I regret continuing to neglect?

  • How do I want to feel in my day-to-day life?

Choose items that evoke a felt sense—calm, relief, interest, warmth—not what you think you should want.

Examples many clients choose:

  • Rest, quiet, and routine

  • Meaningful relationships

  • Creativity or learning

  • Time outdoors or movement

  • Emotional steadiness rather than constant productivity

Step 4: Look for Patterns, Not Answers

Once your board/journal page is complete, step back and notice:

  • Repeating themes

  • Emotional tone (slower, simpler, more connected?)

  • Common verbs (e.g., resting, learning, building, caring, stabilizing)

In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), values are understood as ongoing ways of living, not outcomes to complete (Hayes et al.). Your vision board is helping you identify those directions.

Step 5: Let the Vision Inform—Not Dictate—Goals

At this stage, resist the urge to immediately turn everything into goals.

Instead, ask:

“If someone were living in alignment with this vision, what kinds of choices would they be making more often?”

That question sets the stage for thoughtful, realistic goal setting—something we’ll explore in the next post.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Treating the vision board as a promise

  • Getting stuck in the dreaming and not turning it into actionable goals

  • Comparing your board to others

  • Using it to judge motivation or worth

  • Rushing past reflection into action

A vision board is a conversation with yourself, not a performance review.

A Gentle Invitation

The approach described here is informed by values-based therapies and motivation research, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and research on self-concordant goal setting. These sources inform the general values-based and motivation-focused perspective reflected in this post rather than any single prescribed method. If you’re curious to learn more, the references below offer thoughtful, accessible starting points for exploring these ideas at your own pace.

If this exercise sparked even a small sense of curiosity, that’s enough to start. You don’t need clarity all at once, and you don’t need to turn insight into action right away. Sometimes the most meaningful step is simply giving yourself permission to notice what draws you, what feels meaningful, and what you’ve been longing for beneath the noise of expectations.

You might take some time this week to sit with what stood out to you—an image, a feeling, or a theme—and let it inform how you move through the next few days. There’s no right way to do this, and no pressure to get it “right.”

If, along the way, you find yourself wanting support—whether to clarify your values, translate insight into meaningful goals, or work through what’s been getting in the way—I’d be glad to help. Therapy can be a space to explore what matters at your own pace and with support.

References

Cora Taylor
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