Start the New Year With Intention: Create a Vision Board Rooted in Your Values

The New Year often arrives with big energy. New goals, new habits, a new “you.” But before cutting out magazine photos or opening Pinterest, the most powerful place to begin is not your goals. It’s your values.

A vision board isn’t just about what you want to have, it’s about who you want to be, how you want to show up in the world, and what you’re willing to stand for. When your vision board is built around your values, it becomes a compass, not just a collage.

Step 1: Define Your Core Values First

Values are the principles that guide your decisions, especially when life gets complicated or uncomfortable. They’re the “why” behind your goals.

Before you create your vision board, take time to write down 5–8 values that truly matter to you. Ask yourself:

• What makes me feel proud of how I live?

• What injustices bother me the most?

• Where do I want to put my time, money, or energy?

Sample Values (Choose What Resonates)

• Compassion – Choosing empathy for humans and animals alike

• Justice – Standing against exploitation, cruelty, and inequality

• Integrity – Living in alignment with your ethics, even when it’s inconvenient

• Community – Supporting movements bigger than yourself

• Courage – Speaking up for all beings

• Growth – Continually learning and evolving our impact

Step 2: Build Your Vision Board Around Those Values

Now that your values are clear, your vision board becomes much more intentional.

Instead of asking:

“What do I want this year?”

Ask:

“What does a life aligned with my values actually look like?”

What to Include on Your Board

• Words that reflect your values (e.g., Justice, Compassion, Liberation)

• Images that represent ethical living (sanctuaries, plant-based food, peaceful activism)

• Quotes that inspire action, not perfection

• Visuals of the kind of world you want to help create

For animal rights activism, this might include:

• Supporting a local sanctuary

• Protest or advocacy imagery

• Vegan meals and cooking inspiration

• Books or documentaries to digest or share

Step 3: Make Space for Animal Rights Activism

Activism doesn’t have to look one way. Your vision board should reflect your capacity, lifestyle, and strengths.

Here are specific, realistic ways to help animals that you can include as intentions on your board:

Everyday Actions

• Commit to plant-based eating and being vegan

• Learn to cook 3–5 vegan meals you love and share a meal with friends

• Buy cruelty-free and use vegan personal care products

• Stop supporting industries that exploit animals (entertainment, fashion, food)

Advocacy & Education

• Share animal rights content thoughtfully on social media

• Have respectful conversations with friends and family

• Read one animal ethics book this year

• Watch and recommend documentaries that opened your eyes

Direct Support

• Donate monthly to an animal sanctuary or advocacy group

• Volunteer at a rescue, sanctuary, or wildlife rehab

• Volunteer for a non-for-profit animal rights organization or donate to one

• Sponsor a rescued animal

• Participate in local animal rights events

Movement Building

• Attend a protest or vigil

• Support legislation that protects animals

• Sign and share petitions strategically

• Join a local or online animal rights community

Step 4: Let Your Vision Board Guide Your Year

Place it somewhere you’ll see it regularly. Let it remind you:

• Why your choices matter

• That small actions compound

• That living your values is already success

You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference. You just have to live in alignment with what you believe.

This year, let your vision board reflect not only the life you want, but the world you want to help build!!

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