Common Pitfalls in Goal Setting

Compensatory goals try to balance out a past failure or shortcoming by setting an extremely ambitious goal. This adds the burden of compensating for past mistakes on top of an already challenging goal, making it much harder to achieve.

“So the tricky thing about a compensatory goal is that we’re sort of setting ourselves up to only succeed in the most spectacular way emotionally in order to counterbalance the shame of failure.”

Reflective Questions:

• Have you ever set a compensatory goal to make up for a past failure? How did it impact your motivation and progress?
• What would be a more realistic and achievable approach to move forward after a setback?

Fantasy-Based Goals Moving Goalposts

Fantasy-based goals are so far removed from our current reality that any progress made doesn’t feel meaningful. Unlike video games that provide constant small rewards, fantasy goals lack positive reinforcement for incremental steps forward.

“If I spent four hours climbing towards towards Mount Everest, what my brain actually sees is I’ve invested four hours and I’ve seen absolutely no benefit.”

Reflective Questions:

• Have you ever pursued a fantasy-based goal? How did the lack of visible progress affect your motivation?
• How can you break down a big dream into smaller, achievable milestones that provide a sense of progress?

Compensatory Goals Positive Reinforcement in Goal-Setting

When we achieve a goal, the excitement often leads us to immediately raise the bar higher for next time. By continually moving the goalposts, we set ourselves up to fail and struggle with consistency. The focus should be on maintaining achievable goals to build habits.

“As you get excited from succeeding and your initial goal, you actually move the goalposts for yourself. As you move the goalposts for yourself, you actually set yourself up to fail, you actually sabotage your ability to to become consistent to have follow through and that’s entirely through moving your goalposts.”

Reflective Questions:

• Have you experienced self-sabotage by continually raising your expectations after meeting a goal?
• What would happen if you maintained the same achievable goal for a period of time to build consistency?

Compensatory Goals Building Consistency in Goal Pursuit

Video game developers take advantage of our psychology by providing frequent small rewards for progress. This positive reinforcement, even for minor achievements, encourages players to persist in the game. The same principle can be applied to goal-setting.

“So level one is also subdivided into 10 Different encounters that each give you a small reward. And so what video game developers have essentially done is the very opposite of a fantasy based goal. They’ve sort of given you a positive reinforcement each step of the way.”

Fantasy-Based Goals Gamification in Goal-Setting