My Big Goal for 2024 is To Fail. Here's Why...

Happy Thursday, everyone, and Happy New Year!

For those of you that celebrate, I hope you had a lovely holiday.

Things have been crazy here at SBE, but we are starting off 2024 strong with a lot of new content, products, and services! I can’t wait to tell you more and I’ll be posting with more details, so be sure to keep an eye on your email!

But this week, my focus has been on the new year—specifically planning my goals, my schedule, and how I want to shape 2024.

And after a lot of thought and soul-searching, I decided my focus for 2024 is going to be:

“Failure, To Launch”

No, not the movie with Matthew McConaughey and SJP, although, it is a classic.

The comma here is vital—and the nerdiness of that so appealed to me.

So what does that mean? “Failure, To Launch”

Usually around the new year, I create videos focused on goals: How to make them, how to keep them, what you should be trying to achieve. 

And if that is something you need, check out my goals Youtube playlist here. 

But so much of the new year hype tends to focus on success.

And I know what you’re thinking: 

"Duh, Susan. Of course I want to succeed. I want to meet my goals and make this year the best year yet.”

For sure. Me too!

But I’ve come to a slow (VERY slow) realization that I not only need to push myself on how I’m going to succeed, but I also need to push myself to fail.

No matter how big or small, failing is hard. There are a lot of big emotions, and sometimes consequences, that come with failing, especially if it is something that is important, something big enough that you created a New Year’s goal to tackle.

And if you are anything like me—an anxiety-filled, Type-A, overachiever—failure can be crippling at times.

But that fear of failing can be the exact thing that is causing you to fail. The biggest thing that is holding you back.

For you authors out there, the fear might be taking that step to buckle down and finish your book, to have it edited, or to query or publish.

For me, it is launching all these new courses, expanding the business, and pushing myself to take the next step in my career.

I think I can speak for both of us when I say, succeeding at the goals above is vital. So much so that you might be tempted to put it off to next month, next season, or next year when you’re “ready”.

Or you might make it a goal, but let it slip by, pushing it off, knowing it is going to be a hard, messy, long road.

So back to my focus: “Failure, To Launch”

My biggest 2024 goal? Is to give myself permission to fail. To even plan to tackle big things, not hoping to fail, but planning to do my best and let it be okay if it doesn’t work this time around.

Seems counter-intuitive a bit, no? I’m not planning for success, I’m planning for failure. But this has been my big realization this year—by only working toward goals and things that I have a “plan” for or that I’m certain I can make a “success”?

I’m not growing—as an editor, as a business person, or as a coach. I’m succeeding at what I do now, but I know I can do more. I know I need to push myself, “to launch” myself to the next level.

Maybe you feel the same way? Whether it is starting writing for the first time, branching out into writing a new genre, or starting a big series that seems like a huge mountain to tackle.

Here’s my recommendation for your 2024:

Plan BIG. So big you know there is possible failure. Come to terms with that and try anyway. Try a few new things!

We are going to fail at some of those. And that is okay! Because I’m betting you are going to surprise yourself at how many things you succeed at in that “big goal” list. Things you never thought possible.

Or even from the failures, the knowledge and small successes you can take away from that.

So after lots of soul-searching—and sweaty palms—my goals for 2024 don’t just include things I want to succeed at. But they include things that push me past my comfort zone. Things I might fail at.

And I can’t wait. Well, sort of. I'm nervous, but excited too.

What are some of your big goals for 2024 that are your “Failure, to Launch"?

How can SBE make some of those big goals reality?