Topic: Why setting an emotion as a goal guarantees failure
Mini-course: Motivation: Principles and Practice, Session 4

Now that we've established a basic method for motivating oneself (Self-Direction Method), and a basic understanding of the effect of your volitional action (the interaction between the conscious mind and the automatic functions of the subconscious), we will cash in by explaining why some common mistakes are mistakes.

First up: why setting an emotion as a goal guarantees failure--and the alternative. We will discuss:

- What it means to set an emotion as a goal
- What you can predict will happen when you try to go after that goal
- How you create a happy life when you can't set positive emotions as goals

Bring your favorite emotionally-formulated goal, and we'll talk through the problems with it.

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