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On February 29, 2020, the SHIELD Saturday Leadership Academy held session 5. The topic and activity for the session were setting goals and making vision boards.
The session began with Yoga led by Jennifer Jennette of Grow Yoga Together. In this yoga session, the mentees worked on new yoga poses and worked on the mentees' focus through breathing techniques. The mentees began by sitting and covering their eyes and began to work on controlled breathing. Following this exercise students practiced some yoga poses like a child’s pose and downward dog.
This week's session guest speaker was Ashley Striblin. Ashley engaged mentees by asking them questions such as what are goals? Why are they important? Who needs them? Many of the mentees were actively answering the questions giving a variation of answers. After hearing from multiple mentees Ashley gave the textbook definition of what a goal is and why it’s important.
She then introduced S.M.A.R.T, Goals to the mentees. SMART is an acronym for Specific Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely. It was explained to the mentees that Setting S.M.A.R..T Goals is a good method to set goals. She went through each letter and gave an example of how you can make your goal more specific and realistic by using this acronym while making goals. Ashley then passed around the first activity which was a paper for the mentees to list three goals and the steps they would take to achieve these goals and setting a deadline for each goal.
Once the first activity was completed Ashley asked the mentees if they knew what a vision board was. Not many knew so Ashley gave the mentees the definition which is a board with images that show what you want to be, do, or have in your life.
Then she asked why they need to do a vision board? The mentees gave great answers. Then, Ashley explained the importance of vision boards. She explained that it’s important to make them because it serves as a daily reminder of dreams and goals. It also helps individuals stay focused.
She then quoted one of her favorite quotes, “Make your vision so clear that your fears become irrelevant.”
Another engaging question asked to the mentees was if they knew what the law of attraction was? The mentees did not fully understand what it meant so Ashley helped the mentees understand what it meant. Ashley explained that the law of attraction was the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. To further her point Ashley showed a picture of popular celebrities who have vision boards and believe in the law of attraction.
To further motivate the mentees in making vision boards and setting goals Ashley played a video featuring Steve Harvey, in the video he referred to a scripture “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:2) and encouraged everyone to write down their goals and mentioned how every successful person he knew had a vision board.
After playing the video Ashley asked what the mentees learned from the video. Many of them shared how it’s important to make goals and making a vision board to reiterate those goals. To close out the session Ashley passed around boards and the mentees were able to make vision boards of their own.