About this episode
Welcome to the most important new member of the curiosity tribe who joined us since Friday—my son, Roman Reddy Bloom. I spent the first 30 years of my life trying to find the meaning and purpose of all of this. Then one day, it was staring right back at me. My new best friend. Today’s newsletter is brought to you by LEX ! What they do: make it easy to invest in real estate! Pop quiz: What asset class has created more millionaires than any other? Answer: Real estate. LEX has a really cool angle for investing in real estate. LEX does an “IPO” for a building, so you can directly invest in marquee commercial real estate. You can build a portfolio of buildings you want to invest in. Each building has a ticker, just like stocks. As a shareholder, you can get paid dividends flowing from the rent paid by the tenants. You can also earn tax advantaged passive income and trade without lockups. Check out LEX’s live assets in New York City and upcoming IPO in Seattle. Sign up for free here and get a $50 bonus when you deposit at least $500. Today at a Glance: Anti-goals are the things we DON'T want to happen—either as final outcomes or along the way. Establishing them allows you to win the battle AND the war. If traditional goals are the rudders that set your direction, think of anti-goals as the map that tells you where the rapids are. Awareness keeps you on smooth waters. The generalized process involves four steps: (1) Choose Your Arena, (2) Establish Traditional Goals, (3) Invert the Problem, and (4) Establish Anti-Goals. Test it out by establishing anti-goals when planning for new projects, designing your life, or creating self-improvement plans. The Ultimate Goal Setting Tool I love writing this newsletter. There are plenty of reasons, but at the top of the list is the fact that I get to take you all on a journey with me. Not a physical journey—though it would be fun to do a Curiosity Chronicle retreat someday!—but a learning journey. I’m able to share new insights and perspectives in *real time*. This isn’t some academic newsletter where I lecture you on truths and personal wisdom—this is simply me sharing ideas, frameworks, and models that I am battle-testing on my own journey. I am not a teacher—I am a student, learning alongside all of you. In that vein, today’s piece will share a new learning: the power of Anti-Goals. An Introduction to Anti-Goals At the start of 2022, I shared a piece called The Goal Setting Guide —a breakdown of my framework for setting—and smashing—goals. Shortly after I shared the piece, however, I came across the intriguing concept of “anti-goals” from my friend Andrew Wilkinson . I began to wonder if my goal setting framework was in need of a refresh. I like to personally battle-test new concepts before I share them publicly, so I started establishing “Anti-Goals” for all new projects. Everything changed. It quickly became a staple for: Planning for new projects Designing my life Creating self-improvement plans So with sufficient battle-testing behind me, I'd like to share how to leverage anti-goals to level up your goal setting process. The concept is grounded in inversion—a foundational mental model that says that complex problems are often easier solved backwards vs. forwards. Inversion was made famous by one quote from Charlie Munger: All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there. With traditional goals, we envision the optimal outcome. We then build systems that will—hopefully—lead to that outcome. This is important and necessary—but it’s incomplete. Anti-goals leverage inversion to complete the picture. Anti-goals are the things we DON'T want to happen—either as final outcomes or along the way. I think of anti-goals as being about avoiding the Pyrrhic victory—a term coined after King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who suffered devastating losses while defeating the Roman army in battle in 279 B.C.E. The term is now commonly used to refer to a victory that takes such a terrible toll on the victor that it might has well have been a defeat. My friend Shaan Puri , another proponent of anti-goals, elaborates: What if your dream was to be a musician. And guess what - you did it! But while you’re touring the world, you gain weight, get addicted to drugs, your marriage is in shambles, and your kids don’t recognize you....you won the battle but lost the war. Anti-goals allow you to win the battle AND the war! The Anti-Goal Framework Ok, so how do you leverage anti-goals in your goal setting process? The generalized version involves four steps: Choose Your Arena Establish Traditional Goals Invert the Problem Establish Anti-Goals Let’s walk through each step: Choose Your Arena The arena is the "project" you’re going to be working on. A few broad categories to consider: Personal Work Health Your arena should be a specific project under a larger category. It’s the place where you’re looking for achievement, progress, or growth. Establish Traditional Goals These are your standard goals—the desired outcomes from the chosen arena. This should be easy, as it’s familiar. A few examples of traditional goals: Run a 6-min mile Build a 100,000 sub newsletter Promotion to VP Create a top-25 podcast Clear, big picture traditional goals are important. Note: As I covered in my Goal Setting Guide , it’s often helpful to have short, medium, and long-term traditional goals. Experiment with what works best for you. Invert the Problem To invert, ask and answer a few questions. In the pursuit of these traditional goals: What is the worst possible outcome? What systems would lead to that? What daily actions would I regret? In short, ask yourself what you would view as winning the battle but losing the war. Establish Anti-Goals Now work backwards to establish your anti-goals—the outcomes you DON’T want. James Clear refers to traditional goals as rudders. Expanding on this analogy, if traditional goals are the rudders that set your direction, think of anti-goals as the map that tells you where the rapids are. A thoughtful, clear map keeps you on smooth waters. An Illustrative Example It can be a bit confusing in the abstract, so let’s look at a recent example from my own life… Choose Your Arena: Physical Fitness Establish Traditional Goals: Run a 6-minute mile Under 8% bodyfat Deadlift 500 pounds Perhaps a bit too ambitious at age 31, but it feels doable if I’m dedicated (and if I get any sleep post baby arrival)! Invert the Problem: What does the worst possible outcome look like? Letting it con...