How to make this year your year

This piece is part of a series by Calypso, The Know’s resident careers expert, which is all about helping you level up in your career.

Calypso Barnum-Bobb is a self-discovery coach who helps people express their most authentic selves so they can create lives they’re truly obsessed with.

First things first: this is not one of those articles which is going to make you feel pressured to achieve enormous things this year (we’re looking at you, New Year’s resolutions!). Instead, this is your invitation to prioritise whatever it is that’s going to fill you up most in 2024. 

Here’s some context for you. I used to work 9-5 in fashion, in a job I didn’t enjoy. At the same time, my relationship was in a tough spot and I felt disconnected from my family. In short, I just didn’t really know who I was. 

Fast-forward three years and I can hand-on-heart say that I truly enjoy - in fact, love - my life. The main reason for this is that I have now defined what success truly means to me - outside of what society tells me it should look like.

That’s why, in 2024 and beyond, I’m inviting you to reflect on your true desires - and see what joy that unlocks for you. Here are my tips for doing just that:

Think about what you’d love your life to look like 

In traditional goal setting, you’re invited to look at what your life looks like now and work out the steps you need to move forward. That’s good in some ways, but it can sometimes lead you down a path that isn’t really authentic to you.

What I recommend doing is to spend a moment journaling or reflecting on the question: “Five years from now, how would you like your life to look?”. Crucially, as you answer this question, you shouldn’t yet know how exactly you’re going to get there.

It’s natural for this to feel like a bit of a pipe dream exercise - but having “yeah, if only!” thoughts actually means you’re in the right place! To make this year your year, you have to make space for your heart’s desires to come to the surface - however “delusional” or “outrageous” they may feel.

And a practical tip: if journaling isn’t your jam, you could have a go at creating a vision board instead (try Pinterest, old-school Pritt sticks and magazines, or there’s a cool website/app called landing.space).

Come up with stepping stones towards your dreams

What can you start doing this year that excites you and leads you towards that future vision?

I’ll give an example. Say in five years’ time, you want to live in a château in the south of France, where you can grow all your own fruit and veg and work for yourself in an interior design business. What can you do now? Maybe book a trip to France and soak up the scenery? Chat to people who have renovated a château? Start looking into interior design classes to do on the side for fun, alongside your current job?

This isn’t about setting targets or time constraints; it’s about planting seeds of enjoyment. In other words, finding fun things that you can do in 2024 that may also lead you towards your greater, five-year goals. 

Start to identify the limiting beliefs that are holding you back 

This step definitely isn’t as fun as the others - but interrogating your limiting beliefs is still incredibly worthwhile.

It’s worth working with a therapist or a coach to do this - but if these tools aren’t available to you then journaling is also a great way to figure out why you believe what you do. Always ask yourself: “why do I think this?”.

Doing the inner work to shift your self-doubt and boost your confidence can be a messy, sticky process - but it will skyrocket the possibility of 2024 being your year.

Carve out some immediate plans 

So, you’ve identified the stepping stones you might want to take towards reaching your five-year vision - what can you do in this first quarter of the year that will take you closer?

If we think about that south of France dream, do you start a savings pot so you can put money aside for that first trip to the south of France? Or do you subscribe to Architectural Digest and start thinking about what your dream home could look like?

Bringing these things into your reality is a really energising feeling, no matter how big or small they are.

A motto for 2024…

Our hearts tend to feel full when we’re being stretched a little but also having a really good time. So making this year your year is all about finding a good balance -  in other words, moving towards an existence that fulfils you but having fun in the process!

If you want support in creating a life that you really love, where you’ll be held accountable but enjoy the process with a community of others doing the same, check out Calypso’s website here.