The Messy Middle

When the Vision Board Mocks You

By Sequoia T. Gillyard Published May 21, 2026

Real-Time Journey Content

I’m sitting here looking at my vision board from January, and honestly? I want to throw it in the trash.

Not because I don’t believe in vision anymore. Not because I think goal-setting is pointless. But because it’s May, and literally nothing on this board has happened the way I thought it would.

I had “30 new clients by Q2” written in bold letters. I’m at 8. I had “podcast at 10K downloads per month” circled with stars and exclamation points. I’m at 2,500. I had “book deal secured” with a target date that’s already passed.

And every time I walk past this board, it feels like it’s whispering, “Remember when you thought you were going to do big things this year?”

The Lie I’ve Been Wrestling With

Here’s what’s been messing with me: I thought faith meant the vision would unfold exactly how I saw it. That if I prayed over these goals, worked hard, and stayed obedient, God would deliver them on my timeline.

But what if the vision board isn’t the problem? What if my expectation that faith equals predictability is?

Because here’s what actually happened this year: I didn’t get 30 new clients, but the 8 I got have been the most transformative partnerships of my career. I didn’t hit 10K downloads, but I got an email from a woman who said one episode saved her marriage. I didn’t get the book deal I wanted, but I got an invitation to speak at a conference I never would have applied to.

None of it looks like what I planned. All of it is exactly what I needed.

What I’m Learning Right Now

I’m learning that God isn’t intimidated by my vision boards. He’s just not limited by them.

I’m learning that sometimes the goal isn’t to hit the target you set—it’s to discover the target He’s been aiming you toward all along.

I’m learning that the messy middle isn’t where faith goes to die. It’s where faith gets refined.

Because let me be real with you: When everything goes according to plan, you don’t need much faith. You just need good planning. But when nothing goes according to plan and you keep moving anyway? That’s when you find out what you really believe about God.

The Moment That Shifted Everything

Yesterday, I was having my weekly pity party about my vision board (yes, it’s become a weekly thing), and I felt God whisper: “You’re so focused on what I didn’t give you that you’re missing what I did.”

And I had to sit with that.

I’ve been so busy mourning the 22 clients I didn’t get that I haven’t fully celebrated the 8 I have. I’ve been so focused on the download numbers I’m not hitting that I’ve minimized the lives that are being changed. I’ve been so stuck on the book deal that didn’t happen that I’ve overlooked the speaking opportunity that did.

I’ve been treating God like a genie who didn’t grant my wishes instead of a Father who’s orchestrating something better than I could have imagined.

Where I Am Right Now

So here’s where I’m at today: I’m not taking down my vision board. But I’m also not letting it define my worth or my faith.

I’m choosing to believe that the gap between my vision and my reality isn’t evidence of failure—it’s space for God to do something I didn’t have the imagination to plan for.

I’m choosing to celebrate what IS happening instead of only grieving what isn’t.

I’m choosing to trust that maybe, just maybe, my vision board was never meant to be a roadmap. Maybe it was just meant to get me moving so God could redirect me toward where He actually wanted me to go.

And I’m choosing to believe that this messy middle—where nothing looks like I thought it would—is exactly where I’m supposed to be right now.

What I Want You to Know

If your year looks nothing like you planned, you’re not failing. You’re in the messy middle where faith gets real.

If your goals are mocking you from your wall, maybe it’s time to stop letting them define your success and start asking God what He’s building that you didn’t know to plan for.

If you’re tempted to quit because the vision isn’t unfolding on your timeline, what if the delay isn’t denial—it’s just redirection?

I don’t have this figured out. I’m still in the middle of it. I still have moments where I wonder if I’m doing this whole faith thing wrong.

But I’m learning that the messy middle isn’t the place where dreams go to die. It’s the place where faith learns to trust God more than the plan.