Think of the day when you decided on a life change. You can't wait to share it with all your family and friends. Maybe you announce it at a party, or share it on-line for all to see:
"I'm going to lose 20 pounds by Christmas, and be fit enough to go running every day!"
Everyone congratulates you on a job well done.
But wait a minute -- you haven't done anything yet?
In a recent TED talk, Derek Sivers talks about keeping goals secret. According to research, telling someone your goals makes them less likely to happen.
There is some research to back this up. Peter Gollwitzer of New York University specializes in goal-setting. In his article (PDF) about announcing intentions he discovers (in Study 3) that people who have announced their goals give up on them quicker than people who haven't.
This flies in the face of some thinking. Many people share their goals and believe the disclosure helps to keep them accountable.
Do you keep you goals to yourself? Or do you announce them to the world?
Photo credit Dana Lookado
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