How to actually grow and be successful in 2024

The theme for 2024 for me is playfulness and calm. I want to chill the F out a bit. There’s a lot that goes into this theme, not just buzz words that can be interpreted in different ways but in terms of this post, in order to be successful in 2024, you need to bring this theme into your own worldview.

Because for me, at least, the way to grow and be successful is to change what growth and success looks like for you.

This means minimising the expectations. This means looking at things from another angle. This means seeing what you learned even from perceived “failure” and finding success in that lesson. This means bringing a playful curiosity and joy into everything you do when considering your goals and your achievements.

What this can look like

This could look like reading 15 books last year and aiming to read 16 this year. Look at that, you’re successful! You grew as a person. You progressed! It’s only one more book, I hear you say? But that one more, if you desired it, is a big deal. And your goals should be so personal that it doesn’t matter if others see their success or value or not.

I didn’t read any books I loved last year but this year I will.

I worked out irregularly last year, but this year I will make sure I do one workout a week (even if it’s just 5 mins or a dance session in my living room)

I didn’t have any exercise I liked last year, but this year I will find one I enjoy no matter how others perceive it.

I was too scared to cut my hair last year or try that new style of thrifted clothing, but this year I will even if it’s a less scary version of my original idea.

I stressed myself out my over my writing last year, but this year all I need to do is put something towards my work in progress every week – even just a sentence or some notes.

I will write even if it’s rubbish and nonsense and I will see unfinished works as practice and progress and finding all the ways my novel doesn’t work – which is good feedback and therefore a success!

Progress is progress, no matter how small. Growth is growth, no matter how small. It’s about setting personal, doable and fair goals. One’s that make you laugh at how simple they are.

Guess what? If it’s so easy, you can smash the goal and set another small one to target next!

Because the truth to success is setting small goals and achieving them then making new ones and achieving those – on and on until boom, you achieved more than you would have by setting the daunting, mammoth goal in the first place.

Or maybe you never achieve the mammoth goal at all, even with the staircase of small ones. That’s great too. That’s the point here:

Growth is growth, no matter how small

Sincerely,

S. xx