Popular opinion: Kids should set goals

Unpopular opinion: Kids should set Anti-Goals

What if kids could get to where they want by avoiding what they don’t want?

A thread

I recently learned a new trick from Charlie Munger who stated:

“Tell me where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.”

He’s talking about inversion: the idea that reversing a problem can help to solve it.

Here’s how Munger put it:

“Problems frequently get easier if you turn them around in reverse. In other words, if you want to help India, the question you should ask is *not* ‘how can I help India,’ it’s ‘what is doing the worst damage in India and how do I avoid it?”

Based on the concept of inversion, @awilkinson and @_Sparling_ the came up with Anti-Goals:

A problem solving strategy to help you focus on what you *don’t* want so you can work out what you do want.

I feel there's a way to connect Anti-Goals to kids. https://medium.com/@awilkinson/the-power-of-anti-goals-c38f5f46d23c

Most kids have no idea what they want.

It’s easier for them to think about what they *don’t* want than what they do, yet we continue to focus on helping them set goals.

This process results in a compilation of ideas from teachers & parents that hardly represent what kids want.

What if we turn the exercise around and help kids set Anti-Goals?

1. List the things they *don't* enjoy doing or make them unhappy

2. List the specific steps they will implement to ensure these won’t happen

By keeping in mind what to avoid, it’s easier to know what to do.

I explore ideas like these in my weekly newsletter about Childhood Education called Fab Fridays.

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