Let's not talk about goals

How I plan to tackle 2024

As planned, I started writing a post about my goals for this year. I was far too busy to write one last year, so I was excited to spend some time reflecting and setting myself lots of practical goals for me to strive towards during the year. But then I realised I had no interest in writing about my goals. Instead I want to write about something that my mind has been obsessing over every since I read this post on Threads:

For this Substack, I want to talk about luck. Thanks so much to two amazing people, Louie Stowell and Rashmi Sirdeshpande for adding to this conversation and bringing it to my attention. You can see the full thread here. I think ‘luck’ kind of fits with the theme of ‘goals’, because a ‘goal’ can often be something that we hope to happen and plan to work very hard to make it so: ‘I want to get an agent’, ‘I want to find a publisher for my book’. We can work extremely hard all year, put all our effort into fulfilling these goals. But we need to admit, so much of it comes down to luck, the right time, the right person seeing your stuff.

I feel extremely lucky, as a children’s illustrator. When I started learning to draw digitally during lockdown, I joined the 100 day project; you choose a project for yourself and post everyday for 100 days. I drew people in their lockdown lives, celebrating birthdays, helping neighbours, working from home, all different ways people had adapted to life in lockdown. And it was through this project, through me turning up everyday, drawing lots of diverse characters doing different things, that an agent spotting me and reached out with representation. Did I work hard for it? Of course I did, two kids at home and a whole illustration to draw every single day, it was extremely hard. But now when people reach out and ask for advice on how to get an agent, I can’t say ‘just draw for 100 days and one will find you’, so much of that success was completely down to luck.

I believe this is the case for all aspects of life, and I really wish more successful people would be willing to admit this. Especially some of the most successful people that have so much impact on everyone’s lives. A bit of humility and appreciating your own good fortune is a great way to build empathy for others that may not have found that lucky moment yet.

I think acknowledging the role luck plays in our own success is brilliant because: SO much of it is out of our control. Like, go easy on yourself, its not all your fault. Just try your best, but also, relax. You never know what tiny little action you take will lead to your next big break, it could be anything!

I think acknowledging the role luck plays in our own success is a nightmare because you never know what tiny little action you take will lead to your next big break, it could be anything! The more opportunities you make for yourself to be lucky, the luckier you will be right? I can think of so many little doodles I have done that got noticed by an art director and lead to me bagging a great job, but that just makes me think of all the little doodles I DIDN’T do and all the missed opportunities. Arghhh! Never stop! Never miss anything, Do all the courses, attend all the events! You can’t live like this.

So what’s the point of this? Well, I guess I might come back to the theme of ‘goals’ after all. As I do want to think about what mind frame I plan to tackle this year with. After a 2023 full of lots and lots of hard work, creating as many opportunities to be lucky as I possibly can, I have decided this year will be more about balance. Of course I still plan to work very hard, but I have also acknowledged parts of my life and myself that I had to sacrifice for all that hard work. So this year I plan to turn that hard, unsustainable work ethic into a balanced, healthy, sustainable lifestyle that I can see myself doing for a long, long time. Hopefully good luck will still find me. But I might not always be found at my desk.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and what you plan to do to try to have a 2024 full of happiness, health, and hopefully, a bit of good luck.