Dead men’s goals are anything that a corpse can do better than a living person.
For example: a corpse will never yell at the kids, never have a panic attack, never feel depressed….
Dead men’s goals usually start with something like this:
“I don’t want to eat bread again…” or
“I don’t want to stay up late watching Netflix” or
“I don’t want to feel bad anymore”
There’s nothing really wrong with these type of goals, however the brain doesn’t recognise negatives like “don’t”, “won’t”, “can’t” etc.
The brain is much better at focusing on active sentences like eat bread, stay up late, or feel bad.
So the trick is how you express these goals. Setting up goals, make sure you’re wording them in a positive way instead of negative.
Instead of “I don’t want to eat bread again”,
try, “I want to eat more starchy carbs and vegetables”.
Instead of “I don’t want to stay up late watching Netflix”
try, “I like to get a full 8 hours sleep and wake up energized”.
Or
Instead of “I don’t want to feel bad anymore”,
try “I’m focusing on the small wins that I’ve had today”.
This might sound very similar, however there’s a significant difference and you might be surprised that changing the words can have a positive and impactful feeling on yourself.
If you find this helpful, imagine what could change when you pair mindset shifts with the right support, training, and structure. 🙌
Our 6 Week Kickstarter Programme is designed to help you create real, sustainable progress — not just in your workouts, but in how you think, feel, and show up every day.
💬 Not sure where to begin? Let’s chat. Book a free consultation call and we’ll help you take the first positive step — no “dead men’s goals” here, just goals that move you forward.
