I heard about it recently and thought it an interesting concept.

What does it mean?

We always have been told to have goals and try to strive to reach them. Pursue new ones after and keep them within the realm of reality. No easy task though it might seem quite straightforward. I believe we all have some goals even if there are unspoken they linger deep within us and we wish we could pull them out, share them and then hit the track running.

On the hook

When we decide to reveal our goals to others, privately, publicly or on the internet that definitely can be a method that puts us on the hook for what we set out to do. Now, people are watching and observing your progress and your routine. Your real friends are cheering for you and the ones who aren’t show their true colors. That’s one of the ultimate tests, when we see if our friends are truly happy for us while in pursuit or if they share their doubts and criticism with us from the start. So step number one is to be on the hook, to be accountable, that much makes sense to me. Otherwise it’s easy to quit and hide like nothing ever happened.

Consequences

We never wonder or think that there might be consequences from the goals we set. And that is when the anti-goal comes into play.

Because what if pursuing your dream means you spend no time with your loved ones, or your relationships suffer in general?

  • What if your career/work suffers because it’s not getting your full and undivided attention?
  • What if you get hurt in pursuit of your aims?

The anti-goal is meant just for this. Plan accordingly, and then list what you’d like to avoid/prevent from happening as a result of this pursuit. That is just as important as the goal itself I believe.

Language learning

  • Don’t get muddled in the details
  • Treat mistakes as a learning process without frustration
  • Don’t be hard on yourself during any exercise
  • Be flexible with your timeframes but stay disciplined
  • MAKE IT FUN
  • ENJOY IT
  • Laugh at yourself

Of course I love the last 3 because there are less obvious when we set targets but hey, there are times when we need to be serious and there is no harm in adding some sense of humor in for good measure. Having trouble? GOOD – is one of my favorite posts in which I discuss this. Whatever the endeavor, looking at both the goals and what we want to prevent/avoid throughout the process seems like a valuable and essential step to assure not only the results we seek but also without any collateral damage to speak of. Sacrifice may be required but it should be our own not someone else’s. With that said, lets get down to business and do some anti-goal planning….

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anti-goals, Goals, language learning, life learning
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