Your Career, This Year

January has a way of putting pressure on us to decide everything. Set bold goals, make big moves, reinvent ourselves. The question underneath all that planning is much simpler and much harder: Is it time to change something?

Staying can be the right choice. So can shifting, experimenting, or diving into something new. This framework is designed to help you get honest about what season you’re in, so the goals you set this year are realistic, supportive, and worth your energy.

Step 1: Start With What’s Already Working

Ask yourself: What am I already doing that’s working? When do I feel most like myself at work? What gives me energy?

Remember that what you’ve already been building is solid. Momentum comes from recognizing progress, not ignoring it.

Step 2: A Quick Stay vs. Go Reality Check

Instead of asking yourself one big, overwhelming question, try this quick reality check. For each statement, note whether it feels Mostly True, Somewhat True, or Not True.

1. I feel respected and supported by my manager or team

2. I’m learning or growing in at least one meaningful way

3. My stress feels situational, not constant or escalating

4. I believe change or adjustment is possible here

5. This role supports the life I want outside of work

6. I see steps to long term growth if I stay here

How to read your results:

Mostly True: Staying is likely viable

Mixed: You’re likely in Shift territory

Mostly Not True: It may be time to prepare to go

If you’re unsure, that’s okay. You’re allowed to revise your goals as the year unfolds.

Step 3: If You Stay, Stay Intentionally

Staying doesn’t mean standing still. It means choosing what this role is for right now.

Here are some helpful questions:

1. What do I want more of this year: stability, skill-building, income, flexibility, confidence?

2. What would make this role more sustainable for the next 6–12 months?

3. What is one boundary, request, or adjustment that would meaningfully improve my day‑to‑day?

Intentional stay goals might look like:

1. Redefining workload or priorities

2. Asking for clarity, training, or mentorship

3. Building one transferable skill deeply

4. Protecting energy through clearer boundaries

Step 4: If You’re Preparing to Go, Plan.

You don’t need to quit immediately to be moving forward. If leaving feels likely eventually, focus on preparation goals:

1. Strengthening your financial buffer

2. Updating your resume or portfolio quietly

3. Exploring roles or industries with curiosity, not urgency

4. Taking a course or project that expands your options

Progress doesn’t always look like action. Sometimes it looks like preparation.

Step 5: Dream Big, Then Get Practical

Big dreams matter. So do small steps. Try this approach:

1. Name one big‑picture hope for your work or life this year

2. Break it into the smallest actions that fit your real capacity

3. Be honest about what you need to get where you want to be down the road, and adjust

Whether you stay, shift, or go this year, the most important thing is that the choice is yours, not driven by pressure, comparison, or burnout. You spend too much of your life at work to move through it on autopilot. 

You are allowed to choose sustainability. You are allowed to choose growth. And you are allowed to change your mind.