Setting Positive Goals
Setting negative resolutions and goals won’t produce positive results.
Goal theory tells us that you can’t take a “I don’t want to” approach to goal setting, and expect a positive result. Instead we should align our goals and visions around positive thoughts instead of negative ones. This attached exercise can help you get started.
By learning the difference between a positive goal and a negative one, you can train your brain to begin creating positive actions rather than negative ones. This will help you begin finding greater successes with your own personal goals and resolutions. Who knows, this may be exactly what you’ve been looking for!
Here’s a great example of this advice in action:
“One day I was playing golf with my nephew – who is a professional golfer. I was having a really bad round, and he asked me what I was thinking about. I told him that I was thinking “Don’t look up”, he told me I was looking at it entirely wrong. It is hard to take a negative action, and turn it into a positive action. He suggested that instead of thinking “don’t look up don’t look up”, that I should instead say….”Keep my head down”. Now this may seem the same to you, but there is a subtle difference. What is that difference? Instead of thinking about the one thing you don’t want to do, instead think of the thing that I do want to do. We do this all of the time. Think about it. We say things like, I don’t want a divorce, I don’t want money problems, I don’t want to be overweight. Starting with what we don’t want is not a positive, it is negative.”
- LiveAnew member
“I’m going to stop smoking…” is not a good vision, and in fact those type of resolutions are easy to break and there is no power behind that type of goal. What should you do instead? You should take the positive side of that vision. Think of how you can create positive actions to support the things you wish to change. It’s okay to think of negative situations that we want to overcome, but start thinking about where we want to be and the positive way to get there.
Where do you want to be?
Write down your resolutions or goals that you have. Frame your resolution into a positive.
Use this worksheet to help
