Goal-setting Mistake: Avoid Setting “Negative Goals”
A negative goal is contextualized in terms of what you don’t want. They’re often fear-based and problem-centered. Here are some examples of this goal-setting mistake:
- Lose my flabby stomach
- Get out of my dead-end job
- Get rid of the junk in this house
- Stop buying too much stuff
This isn’t a pitch for glass half full thinking or seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. It’s simply about stating and framing goals in the affirmative rather than “negative goals” whenever possible — which is a huge goal-setting mistake.
Set solution-oriented goals — ones that pull you toward what you want rather than push away from what you don’t. They can have the same intended outcome, but just are framed differently. Here are positive versions of the negative goals above — recast to focus on desired results instead of negatives and obstacles, which is a major goal-setting mistake.
- Start going for a job 3 times/week before work
- Update my resume and apply for one new position by next Friday
- Clean and organize one room at a time starting with the kitchen
- Save $20 each week to put toward an emergency fund.
Setting negative goals focuses more energy on what’s wrong in your life. Positive goals can help keep you in a more constructive frame of mind — and oriented toward taking productive and positive action.
Learn five more characteristics of the effective goal setting by downloading Branches Productivity for free today.
