It’s that time of the year where motivation and resolutions are higher than normal. Many people decide on resolutions or goals to pursue for the calendar year at the beginning of the year. I love to read interesting posts on yearly goals because they give me ideas, and they are also fun to read.
On goals, there are two kinds of people: those that share and those that do not share.
I fall into the second category and for weird reasons or maybe not so weird.
Reasons for sharing goals
Some will argue that if you share your goals, it makes you accountable. It puts you on your toes.
Another reason to go public with your goals is that you can attract resources that will help you to accomplish those goals. Say, your goal is to change career, someone can see your post and offer quality advice or point you in the right direction.
Well, on the flip side, telling other people what you plan to do can hinder it. And not just for fear of jinxing.
In 2009, Peter Gollwitser and colleagues published an article “When Intentions Go Public”. They concluded that when others pay attention to what you intend to do (based on your identity), it leads to a “premature sense of completeness”, making you feel like you’ve already accomplished your goal, even if you haven’t.
Surprisingly, this does not happen if you are not really committed to the goal.
But it makes sense. If I say I want to lose weight, and I don’t really care about it, your opinion about me loosing weight doesn’t matter and cannot affect me. I will do it. Or not.
Sharing your goals gives you dopamine release, making you feel like you’ve already achieved them, what with all the congratulations you get.
“The more others admire our goals, the more dopamine rush we get, and the less likely we are to execute the future necessary actions to implement them.”
– Psychology Today
When should you share your goals?
Before deciding to spill the beans, take these into consideration:
1. Whether you are an extrovert with love for social interaction or an introvert who values privacy.
2. At what stage do you let people know? You are more susceptible to derailment if you let in the wrong people at the early stage of a pursuit.
3. Who are the people you are telling? If you value their input and care about what they say, then you are more likely to remain accountable.
4. How bad do you want it? If you really care about your goals, perhaps you shouldn’t share. Every negative response will be like a thorn in your flesh.
You can still achieve the goal of accountability by sharing with people whose opinions you value.
In 2020, I shared my goal to read 20 books on Facebook. And I achieved it. I cared about the goal, but not too deeply to be derailed by whatever anybody said. And I stayed accountable.
Anyway, I plan to read 24 books this year. Let’s see how it goes. 🤞🙈 Check this blog post if you want to read more books.
Think about the last time you shared a goal publicly, did you realize it?
What do you think? Would you share your goals? I’d love to read your comments.
