I’m Not Setting Any Goals This Year

Maybe you shouldn’t, either

This is the time of year that every personal development writer starts using a dirty, four-letter word: Goal. And the tips they give for setting and achieving goals are consistent, evidence-based, and solid.

Almost without exception, they tell us that writing goals down are the first key to success (and that only three percent of people write down their goals); they remind us how to write SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Timely), and that most people abandon their goals three weeks into the New Year.

“Don’t be that person!” they urge us. “Be the one who achieves! The success! Rise above! Push beyond!”

At some point, setting goals began to feel like defining my failures.

I get angry just writing that. And this year, I’m rebelling. I’m not setting any goals. I’m choosing to step off this particular train.

I first realized how much I hate goals in a journaling session about a year ago. As my hand furiously scribbled across the page, words of rage came pouring out of me. As I drilled into my emotions around the word, I realized that the word “goals” for me has become synonymous with “failure.”