What Are Your "Anti-Goals" For Next Year?
Every December, I take a “sabbatical” — not a vacation, but a reset. It’s a time to step away from work and reflect on what truly matters. One of the most important things I do during this time is decide on my anti-goals for the next year.
We all set goals for what we want to achieve — better health, new hobbies, career growth. But just as important is the opposite question:
What do you want to avoid?
In other words, what are the biggest pitfalls that could lead you toward a life you don’t want?
This idea comes from the concept of inversion — instead of only asking, “How can I succeed?”, ask, “What would make me fail?” and then work backward from there.
Why I Burned Out
After nine years of working at a relentless pace, I faced burnout for two main reasons:
- I realized I hadn’t seen my grandmother in nearly ten years.
I could say I was “too busy” with work and life, but that’s just an excuse. The truth is, I had stopped prioritizing her. - Same routine work year after year.
Optometry is many things — meaningful, impactful, fulfilling — but it's also very repetitive: the same tests, the same conversations, day after day. I thrive on new challenges and environments, and I had neglected that part of myself for far too long.
At that point, I didn’t have a clear picture of what my ideal life looked like. But I knew exactly what I didn’t want:
to keep going down the same path.
Redesigning My Life
When I began redesigning my life, I started by defining my biggest anti-goals — where I did not want to end up:
1) I didn’t want another ten years to pass before I prioritized family.
Shortly after switching to freelance optometry, I booked a flight to South Korea to visit my grandmother. Her physical health had declined, and she mostly rested in bed.
Yet her mind was sharp — she told stories from her childhood, shared memories of us together, and even sang me a song from her childhood while holding my hand.
To this day, the lost time with my grandmother remains one of my biggest regrets — but I’m deeply grateful I got to see her before it was too late.
2) I didn’t want to do only optometry work for the rest of my career.
On the professional side, I started a well-being blog — not to make money (and to this day I have no plans to monetize it), but to connect with like-minded people and express creativity beyond my clinic work.
That blog ended up opening doors I never expected: travel optometry, podcasts, and speaking opportunities. None of this was planned, but it all came from following my passion.
Taking on creative side projects was a breath of fresh air. They re-energized me and ultimately helped me return stronger — both personally and as an optometrist. I’ve learned that my work happiness thrives on having a variety of roles.
What Are Your Anti-Goals?
As you plan for the new year, try a bit of inversion.
Instead of only asking, “What do I want to achieve?”, ask yourself:
“What do I want to avoid at all costs?”
Sometimes, your anti-goals might reveal more about the life you truly want than your goals!
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