DIY: Life Goals & Aspirations Journal

Today's blog post is a lot different than my normal fashion-related blog posts, so we will categorize it under "In Between". So for today's post, I am sharing with you a DIY project based around life goals, aspirations, and dreams! I am always thinking about my future in every aspect. I have a certain picture in my head of exactly how I want certain things in my life to pan out. However, in some cases, I love surprises and happening upon adventures and experiences in life without a step by step plan. If you're anything like me, I am a huge visual person. Whether it's a basic to-do list, grocery list, and/or organization plan (cleaning/re-organizing my room for the third time in a month), I love to see it with my own two eyes. I've always been a "listy" type person and I love it, not to mention the cute Target Dollar Spot notepads I use for those lists. But back to the topic at hand, I had the idea of laying out my life goals from my mind, to paper and then REALITY! I thought this would be a fun breakaway from my fashion posts, so I hope you are inspired to create your own Life Goals & Aspirations Journal! Let's get started!

The Supplies

||Art Board||

||Scissors|| ||Ruler|| ||Tape/Decorative Tape|| 

||Glue Stick|| ||Pencil/Sharpies|| 

||Cardstock/Paper||

||Magazines||

||Notebook of Your Choice||

*TJ Maxx has a great selection of cute and cheap notebooks!

Create a List

After getting all of your supplies together, it's time to create a list of your goals. Once you've got yourself a nice list, create small category designs for your journal. I used cardstock for my topics. I got creative with each category, but stuck with black marker (some gold) so it stood out from the collage.

||TIP||

I really recommend using cardstock or paper for anything you want to write or draw, so you don't mess up on the actual page in your journal. It also creates more of a scrapbooking effect and pops off the page more! :)

Flip Through Mags

Next, to get started look through an array of magazines and rip out a few pages that pertain to your goals. It's also a good idea to rip out pages with cool designs that can act as fillers for blank space on your pages. Also, you can use any other pieces you have, like the three quotes on the top left that I designed and printed out. I also used pins from my Pinterest boards because I had specific pictures in mind. The possibilities are endless with what you can collage with.

||TIP||

Create a cover page using different letters from magazines. It's a lot cooler than just writing the title. I of course called mine, Life Goals & Aspirations. I also added a cut out of the year I started the journal and a dash for when I complete it.

I also made an inside cover, because any white space is design space!

Check Marks

I love checking things of a list, so why not check off each goal I reach! So I found a page in a magazine with a few checkmarks, so I cut them out and put them in a small baggy and used a paper clip to attach it to my journal. 

||TIP||

Use a small baggy from a shirt tag with extra buttons for small check marks! Perfect size!

Collage Your Pages

Now this is the best part! Seeing your goals come to life...on paper though...for now! ;) Before gluing down your pieces, create a layout you like. I tried to cover the page entirely. It's way more fun to look at. I tried to stick with smaller pieces so I could fit a lot of different things for each goal.

Outlining

For most of my pieces, I outlined them in black or gold. My grandma sure loved a black outline and how it completely brought something to life. I definitely got that from her! To change up the usual black outline, I used dots, circles or other designs, just to make it more visually appealing. 

||TIP||

For the little outline details, I mainly used a Sharpie felt tip marker pen in black.

Finished Pages

5 ½ pages finished

Fit Body
One of my goals that I've always had is to have a fit and healthy body. In high school, I played volleyball, basketball, and ran track, as well as danced in competitive show choir, so I was always active. After graduating, I knew it would be a struggle to maintain the body I had at the time and promised myself I wouldn't gain the daunting "Freshman 15" (food for me, not alcohol). I even made a sign saying "Freshman 15" and put it on my door as a daily reminder. But one day I woke up and realized it had happened right before my eyes. I was so disappointed in myself, but it was definitely a wake up call! Ever since, I have dedicated myself to working out and currently I am happy with my body, but never satisfied. The hard part for me is the food side of things! I LOVE FOOD, WHO DOESN'T? But I've stopped my snacking habits and gave up pop. I'm also eating in moderation and still enjoying my favorite foods...AKA PIZZA! Overall, my goal is to not only look better, but FEEL better! But it doesn't mean I'm gonna stop lovin' on the yummy foods life has to offer! :)

Career
Career goals. Something I think about every day! For me, I don't aspire to work an everyday 9 to 5 job. I get that most people do not have that choice, but I want more than that. My passion is fashion. I would absolutely love to make money pursuing something that I love. The perfect job for me would be fashion blogging/promoting other companies through social media, as well as model. I want to be an entrepreneur in some ways. I would also love to blog for other companies as well. I have come to love writing after creating this blog. It has come more natural to me than ever before. To be able to love what I'm getting paid for is the ultimate dream for me! You know what they say, choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. I'm only 21, almost 22 years old, and do I have my life together? No. And that's ok. I like to look at myself as a Student of Life, and what's more valuable than that?

My Own Place
Where do I even begin? I have dreamt about what my own place would look like some day. My style is vintage with a bit of modern. My Pinterest board would paint the whole picture for you! I have so many boxes in my basement full of decor, kitchenware, art, and so much more and it's ready to be unboxed and displayed! I can't wait until the day I am in a big city, in my own place, with a dream job!

Wedding
Every girl dreams about her wedding the first time she sees a bride. I am not excluded from this. Once again, my Pinterest board is exactly what I would love. My dream wedding would be a small and simple beach wedding! Ahh! I can just picture it! The beach is my happy place and to marry the man I love there would be perfect!

Travel
I want to travel the world! To be able to explore and experience such adventure, would be such an amazing thing! I have such a desire to experience places I've only ever seen pictures of. I love adventure and spontaneity, so traveling would be the perfect outlet for that!

Pets
I cannot wait to be proud owner of a Dalmatian named Petey! I adore their unique coat! It resembles my personality in a way. I will also be a proud owner of a cat named Mosby, too! I love animals and I am so excited to have my own pets some day!
*This page is only about half way done!

The Other Pages

I still have many other pages to put together, but I wanted to share this post with you all sooner rather than later. I am so excited for my future and this journal gets me even more excited! This journal will help me visualize my dreams and goals and I can't wait to bring out those little checkmarks and glue them right to the page! No matter your age, you are never too young or too old to reach for the stars! You are in charge of your own future, so set your goals and go after them! 

I hope you are inspired to create your own Life Goals and Aspirations Journal and I hope you too can glue down your checkmarks!

Thanks for stopping by! :)

P.S. If you aren't much of a DIY kind of girl, I have another option for you! I also write in a daily journal. I write down what I did that day, quotes that I love, and my dreams and goals. It is so much fun to look back at it later. I am on my third year of writing in a journal. It really is a neat way of logging your life and thoughts!