As the clock ticks toward the end of 2024, it’s impossible to ignore the hum of "New Year, New Me" energy building up.
The allure of fresh planners, ambitious goals, and those infamous resolutions can make January feel like a blank slate.
But what if we’ve been doing it wrong all along?
What if the secret to a fulfilling 2025 isn’t about what you add to your life but what you remove?
Welcome to the world of anti-goals.
With my background in bodybuilding, I know and understand the power of consistency, determination, and sacrifice.
But creating goals at the start of 2025, or any year for that matter, can often lead to burnout, exhaustion, and crushed dreams…
So, what if we thought of goals differently altogether.?
My friend Sahil Bloom took a stab at the topic here, so I thought I’d take my run at it!
Anti-goals flip traditional goal-setting on its head.
Instead of asking, "What do I want to achieve?" they focus on, "What do I want to avoid?"
Think of anti-goals as guardrails for your life, protecting your time, energy, and well-being from the things that drain or derail you.
Where regular goals push you toward outcomes, anti-goals steer you away from the pitfalls that make life harder than it needs to be.
They’re about subtraction, not addition.
And in a world where the more more more mentality leads all, what if you focused on less?
Here’s why anti-goals might be the missing piece in your planning process:
1. Clarity in Chaos: When you identify what you don’t want, it’s easier to focus on what truly matters.
2. Boundaries, Not Burnout: By setting anti-goals, you prioritize boundaries that protect your time and mental health.
3. Sustainable Growth: Anti-goals prevent you from overloading your plate with too many commitments, fostering steady and consistent progress.
Let’s be real: most resolutions fizzle out by February (especially when it comes to fitness and health).
They often rely on willpower, unrealistic expectations, and a mindset prioritizing quick wins over consistency.
How do I know this? Well, I’m familiar with consistency… From weightlifting for 20 years, writing this blog for 5 years straight, and showing up with 110% effort in everything I set my mind to.
Anti-goals, on the other hand, are simple and sustainable because they focus on what you’ll stop doing.
Instead of saying, “I’ll work out five days a week,” an anti-goal might be, “I won’t skip workouts for three consecutive days.”
It’s not about perfection; it’s about avoiding the behaviours that derail you.
Perfection leads to failure.
Ready to give anti-goals a try? Here’s a simple process:
1. Reflect on 2024
2. Identify Your Non-Negotiables
3. Write Your Anti-Goals Examples of anti-goals might include:
4. Commit to Consistency
The truth is, January isn’t some enchanted doorway that transforms us into better versions of ourselves.
Real change happens in the small, consistent steps we take every day, not in the grand plans we make once a year.
Instead of putting all your energy into a massive January overhaul, focus on maintaining momentum.
Start today.
Set one anti-goal and see how it shifts your perspective.
Let consistency be your compass.
To inspire your list, here are a few of mine:
I’d love to hear your anti-goals!
Join the Work to Live Newsletter to reply to me!
Remember: less is more.
By focusing on what you won’t do, you’ll create space for what truly matters.
Here’s to a simpler, more intentional 2025—one step and one anti-goal at a time.
Download my free yearly review worksheet here!
Chris M Wilson
Chris Wilson is a keynote speaker, CTI coach, and entrepreneur. Through his Hover to Fly framework, he aims to impact the next generation in their careers and lives.
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