Golden Era Bingo: Your 2026 Vision Board Game

December 29, 2024
1:45 pm

If goal lists make you feel behind before you even start, there’s nothing wrong with you.
And you’re not alone in that feeling.

Every December, we’re told to dream bigger, plan better, do more. New goals, new systems, new pressure. For many creatives, that pressure doesn’t motivate at all. It overwhelms. It turns planning into another quiet reminder of everything we didn’t finish last year.

If traditional goal setting has ever made you shut down, abandon planners by February, or feel like you’re failing at a game everyone else understands, this is for you.

A gentler approach to goals

Most goal-setting systems are built on a few assumptions: steady motivation, linear progress, and the ability to push through resistance with discipline alone. If your brain doesn’t work that way, the problem isn’t you. It’s the system.

Lists pile pressure on. They focus on doing, and on failing when you don’t. For creative people especially, that can turn even meaningful goals into something heavy and avoidable.

A gentler approach starts by asking a different question:
What if planning didn’t feel like self-surveillance?
What if it invited you in instead of daring you to mess up?

That question is where Golden Era Bingo comes from.

I didn’t arrive at it from a place of mastery or perfect habits. I arrived there after years of goal lists that quietly made me feel like I was always starting behind. The bingo format wasn’t about ambition. It was about reducing friction.

What “Golden Era” Really Means Here

You don’t have to become a new, shinier version of yourself overnight.

Living in your “Golden Era” means giving yourself permission to find structures that work the way your brain works. It means choosing systems that support you instead of punishing you.

Instead of rigid lists, you work with options.
Instead of all-or-nothing goals, you focus on small, meaningful actions.
Instead of abandoning the plan when life happens, you adapt and keep going.

You don’t need permission to start. You don’t need to wait until you feel ready. You show up where you are, with what you have, and that counts.

Why Bingo Works When Goal Lists Don’t

A bingo card turns planning into something visual, flexible, and low-pressure.

Rather than a single path you must follow, it gives you multiple ways to engage. You can move sideways. You can skip squares for a while. You can make progress without touching the same goal every day.

It’s not about completing every square by December. It’s about creating momentum without burnout.

A bingo card holds both big dreams and small steps in the same space. That balance matters. It lets you keep your vision while still honoring your actual energy, time, and capacity.

Big Dreams, Small Wins

Think of your bingo card as a living guide, not a contract.

Your big goals can sit alongside tiny, doable actions that move you forward without pressure. For example:

Big dream: Publish a book
Smaller squares: Write 500 words, join a writing community, finish one chapter
Big dream: Travel somewhere new
Smaller squares: Save a small amount monthly, plan a day trip, research destinations
Big dream: Start a podcast
Smaller squares: Brainstorm topics, write one outline, record a five-minute test episode

Each completed square is progress. Not proof. Not performance. Just movement.

Making Growth Feel Lighter

Golden Era Bingo isn’t about discipline for discipline’s sake. It’s about creating a structure that makes showing up feel possible, even on low-energy days.

You’re allowed to make it playful. Add colors, doodles, stickers, notes. Let it feel personal. Let it evolve as you do.

More importantly, let it be imperfect.

Falling off the wagon doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re human. You can always come back to the card, choose a different square, and continue.

How to Use Your Bingo Card Intentionally

Set goals that mean something to you, not what you think you should want
Celebrate small wins, because they add up more than you think
Focus on why a goal matters, not just whether you completed it
Let consistency be flexible, not rigid or punishing

Your bingo card isn’t there to keep score, but to keep you engaged.

A Softer Starting Point

Your Golden Era doesn’t begin when everything is figured out. It begins when you stop forcing yourself into systems that don’t fit.

This bingo card is just a tool. A first step. A quieter way to plan without feeling like you’re already failing.

If goal lists have never worked for you, that doesn’t mean you lack discipline or ambition. It means you need a structure that meets you where you are.

Why make a Bingo Card?

Your Golden Era starts when you decide it does. You don’t need permission from anyone else to claim your worth or chase your dreams. You don’t have to wait for someone else to tell you it’s time to start showing up for yourself.

It’s time to stop playing small and step into the fullness of your life. And if you’re not sure where to start, let this bingo board be your first small step. Download it, print it, and fill it with goals that matter to you—big or small.

Tips for Staying Inspired

Create Your Rituals: Light a candle before working on a goal, play a motivating song, or make your workspace cozy and inviting.
Gamify the Process: Add stickers, doodles, or notes to your card as you progress. Make it a celebration!
Reflect Often: Keep a journal nearby and note how each goal makes you feel and what you’re learning.

Your bingo card isn’t just a tool—it’s a reminder that your Golden Era is already here. It’s about showing up for yourself, creating meaning in the little things, and knowing that every step forward is worth celebrating.

How to Get Yours

I’m sharing a free printable Golden Era Bingo template you can use to map out your year in a way that feels supportive instead of overwhelming. Or you can just make your own with a pen and a ruler. I only care that you give yourself permission to start.

Subscribers to my newsletter will receive it in January’s email, but you can also download it here. If you’re in my Discord community, I’ll be sharing it there too.