WS Chronicle

The quote, “A goal without a plan is just a wish,” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, has always resonated with Lakesha Holiday. That quote, along with the desire to see the next generation succeed, inspired her to create her own vision board kits named Keybox.

“Keybox is a tangible supplemental resource that is a vision board kit that allows Generation Z to create a plan of action for their short- and long-term goals,” said Holiday. “Data has proven when you are able to not only create a plan of action for your goals, but create a visual representation of what those goals look like, you are more likely to accomplish them.”

The Keybox comes fully loaded with the items needed to create your vision board, such as glue, markers, glitter and more. Holiday created Keybox in November of 2016 because she wanted to show the youth how to focus on their dreams.

“I always saw adults trying to push young people to set goals, but I never really saw anyone teaching children what it took to maintain your goals,” she said. “I just felt like if you outwardly set a goal for yourself and you have not done the work to maintain your success, it will be short-lived.

“With Keybox, it helps to create a foundation of who you need to become inwardly, to outwardly accomplish what it is you desire in the short term or the long term. The vision board component came from the fact that, it’s just a fun and interactive visual piece that I feel is important when it comes to goal setting. The main focus is to help create that foundation of who is it that I need to become inwardly, so that I’m able to not only maintain, but to nurture and sustain the success of my goal.”

According to Holiday, her Keyboxes are marketed for everyone, but thus far she has seen her biggest customer base from young African American girls. Her hope is to attract more young men, in hopes of inspiring them to set goals at a young age as well.

“If I can be transparent and honest, I really desire to start doing the vision board parties with more African American males and just males in general, because they have goals too,” she continued. “I just feel when they think vision board parties, they think it’s more of a girly or female type of activity, but I would like to tap into the market of reaching more males and African American males in particular.”

Holiday has enjoyed the positive feedback from the customers who have purchased her Keybox. That has fueled her to continue reaching out to the masses to get the word out about setting goals.

“They enjoy the fact that it’s something they can continually add to,” she said about what her customers enjoy most about Keybox. “I always tell my participants or those I have the opportunity to work with, that these vision boards kits are not something to complete in one sitting, or to be completed in a couple of weeks, because you should always be adding to what it is you want to accomplish.

Holiday brought up an example of how one of her customers continued to add to her Keybox over time. The young lady wanted to improve her grades in school, so she would add her progress reports and report cards to the Keybox as a reminder to focus on her grades. This is exactly how Holiday wanted the young people to use their Keybox.

The parents of the children who have received Keyboxes have been very pleased with the newfound focus of their children, Holiday said.  

“Parents have been pleasantly surprised by the product and pleasantly surprised with the fact that it’s an interactive activity they can do with their child,” she said.  

Having her product used by the school system as a supplemental resource is the next dream for Holiday. With many districts going virtual during the pandemic, she feels Keybox would assist many kids with focusing on their schoolwork.

“Unfortunately, I have been reading some statistics concerning how many students are failing across the nation due to the pandemic and the challenges that virtual learning can present,” she went on to say. “I would love to see it used as a supplemental resource to possibly be an aid in which students can couple it with virtual tutoring and other needs of academic improvement.”

Holiday feels she is doing what she has been placed on this earth to do. Assisting others with the pursuit of their dreams brings her great satisfaction, she said.

“I come from a legacy of educators in my immediate family,” she stated. “I really believe that a part of my God-given purpose is to be a light in the field of education and not sit back and talk about the changes that need to be made, but instead offer solutions on how those changes can be made.

“All of us know what it means to accomplish goals, but one mistake that I made that I don’t want other young children to make is that goal accomplishing was something that has to be done after you graduate high school.  I believe that if we start to nurture those good habits and those decision-making skills early, it can eliminate some of the unnecessary pressure you face after high school. To know that I am offering a solution to help Generation Z do that makes me feel fulfilled.

For more information about Keybox please visit www.lakeshaholiday.com. She is available for vision board parties and while supplies last is offering a special surprise inside of every Keybox.