Dead Man’s Goals, Zombie vs. Living Person’s Goals

How do you set good goals? What goals connect your to living life rather than avoiding life? Who would be better at meeting your goal, you or a zombie?

There is this funny saying in the ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) community - “That’s a Dead Man’s goal.”

Since it’s Halloween and my mind is primed to envision zombies, I thought I’d play around with this idea a bit and make it accessible to a general audience of non-therapists.  Plus, it’s fun to combine talk of zombies and my work.   I’ll start, as so many essays do, with a definition.

What is a Dead Man’s Goal?

Dead Man’s Goal (def)- (noun)- anything that a dead person does better than a living person.

Still confusing, I know.  Let's think together about goals you might have in life and test them against this definition.  I want to learn to play the guitar.  Who is better at playing a guitar, a Living Person or a Dead Person

Easy, right?  A living person definitely would play guitar better than a dead person.  Living Person wins.  I realize that my zombie analogy falls short because my mind could envision a zombie playing a guitar.

Round 2.  Again, inspired by Halloween, let's consider the goal of eating fewer sweets.  When my children come home and pile up their Trick or Treating candies, I’d like to eat less of it.  Who is better at eating the least candy, a Living Person or a Dead Person?

Zombie wins!  A Dead Person wouldn’t eat any sweets.  So, a Dead Person would be better than a Living Person at the eating-fewer-Halloween-treats challenge.

OK, now let’s test this logic with something more difficult and way more relevant.

Before you read on, I encourage you to pause a moment and consider 2 or 3 goals you have for your own life.  Maybe even write them down.  Even if you don’t have paper and you don’t feel like jotting these down on your phone or computer, I encourage you to at least stop and do the mental work.  What are a few things you want for yourself and your life?

I’ve inserted extra blank space to really encourage you to pause and come up with 2 or 3 real goals for your own life.

extra blank space means - come up with 2 - 3 goals for yourself!

What are Your Goals?