Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them

agreed - as a band, we only tell people what's going once it's 100% happening/confirmed. that way we spend all our efforts getting it to happen, instead of splitting time between doing it and promoting it.

There's also another newer article in the New York Times about this. — Derek

"Secrecy is the first law of Magic" - from Julia Cameron's Artist's Way.

Talking about your project seems to spread your energy in every direction other than towards completion.

Just sayin...

Interesting...I wonder if there's some balance to be achieved between this, but then also saying it in a way to certain other people enough to have to hold yourself accountable. I know I've had certain goals that I feel like I HAVE to accomplish because I've already told people about them. Thoughts?

Also - when you share your intentions with the wrong folks, they may tell you that it can't or shouldn't be done. BUZZKILL!

Don't lay your pearls before swine...

Derek...that is just what I needed to hear. I think that perhaps this is something that happened to me during my project. Thanks for dropping this insight with your direct language that cuts through!

A very interesting point about 'premature sense of completeness'. I have this about ideas sometimes - 'great' ideas that once complete in my mind, are basically 'done - ha ha - they never make it in the real world.

If you tell someone, you want it to be about you being accountable to them and them helping by following up on doing what you should be doing (ie: kick my ass, plz).

Interesting as it goes against convention wisdom. For the past few months I've taken massive action getting new products to market, after realizing how much I talked about it in the past but hadn't done much of anything.

How interesting! I have read so much about putting your intentions out there that I hadn't even realized that when I keep it a secret so to speak that I keep its motivational power.

I love Carla's comments too. I'm trying not to let my energy be splattered anymore and get focused on exactly what I want - be extra clear with myself!

Its so true about the Buzzkill when you tell someone too and they aren't excited for you or doubt your abilities.

I am in complete agreement, and have always thought this was the best way to get things accomplished and keep myself motivated as well..

It could possibly be that it works differently for everyone though..

What about the effect of writing down your goals (even for yourself)? I've often been told that was a strong motivator, never understood why.

It's important to note that these studies address identity-related behavioral intentions "(e.g., the intention to read law periodicals regularly to reach the identity goal of becoming a lawyer)."

"when other people take notice of an individual's identity-related behavioral intention, this gives the individual a premature sense of possessing the aspired-to identity"

" More generally, when a person pursuing a given activity can talk about the self positively, or otherwise attempts to gain more recognition for performing that activity, the audience for these words and gestures is likely to conclude that the person is indeed well prepared and competent. But such an inference is often erroneous. "

It's the difference between being blowing smoke and actually doing something. If people erroneously give you enough of the sough after identity by talking-the-talk, then there is little motivation to walk-the-walk.

I noticed that the statement "I’ve joined a gym and bought running shoes. I’m going to do it!” do not say anything about the final goal, while “I want to lose 20 pounds, so kick my ass if I don’t, OK?” clearly states that I want to lose 20 punds. In that sense it is similar to Law of Attraction- The final goal is clear but the details on the way is not something to worry about :)

I think social networking sites like Twitter encourage this kind of behavior. I've probably announced dozens of times that I'm working on such-and-such type of side project. If I don't announce it directly, I tend to drop hints about it, sometimes inadvertently.

This is another good reason for me to cut down on my Twitter use.

the more i read, the more i COMPLETELY agreed.

Thanks Derek! I didn't know there was scientific evidence of this until now, but I've always felt this to be true.

In my experience, it is the other way around. Any time I've told someone I'm going to do something, I feel a strong obligation to get it done.

I learned this about myself early on in life so I was always hesitant to tell people about any of my plans because that meant that I would have to do them!

Now days I use it as a tool. If I want to get something done and "force" myself into action, I just start blabbing about it. It also helps in the way of getting some great feedback.

I was going to leave a comment but though I should keep it to myself. ;-)

Just kidding, great post, concise and full of goodies.

second that:

# Nathanael Matthias Weiss wrote on June 16th, 2009

Wow.. Counter-intuitive. Sexy advice..

Shhh..

I think that it depends on whether it's for work, or for personal goals. For work, I think that you do need to communicate your thoughts and plans and ideas constantly, mainly to get buy-in from other people. Also, at work, there is accountability there, because your manager is expecting you to finish certain goals.

But for personal stuff, I think that stating your goals doesn't work. For example, my husband tells me often that he wants to learn the keyboards. We have keyboards and a piano at home, and a built-in teacher (me). But he doesn't have enough to kick himself to practice. He wants me to bug him to practice. But that's not my job. People have to be self motivated. So I think for personal stuff, it's better to really think about what your personal goals are, and rely on yourself to kick your own butt.

Talking about your plans can motivate you because then...you don't want to be seen as your people as just a talker.

It actually makes you do something because your people will tell you (especially friends) that you are full of it if you just talk and don't do anything (if you do this repeatedly)....

Totally agree! I thought I had some kind of psychological hang up, didn't realize studies were ran on this.

I've actually noticed in the past that announcing what you were going to do was like blowing hot air. Much better to let actions speak louder than words, right?

That makes so much sense. I do this to myself all the time. No wonder my ideas tend to not make it to fruition. Thanks for the incite.

ive been thinking about this since jr. high when my buddy made about a million plans out loud, but rarely completed any of them.

Let's try it.





Hugh MacLeod in "Ignore Everybody" says that new ideas change the nature of relationships and that people, innately, don't like their relationships to change, so your new idea (hopefully it's new) will likely be met with some kind of wet-blanketism, consciously given or unconsciously given.

I think the majority of people who ever "climbed their own Mt. Everest" could've care less about what anyone else thought about their ideas and had no need to bounce them off everybody they met.



I'm doing my own experiment and shutting up now...

Very interesting... I am going to pay more attention to this now. Although I do believe that in some instances announcing your plans helps to keep the pressure on you to deliver.

I think there are two types of people in this situation...

1. Those who talk a lot.

2. Those who keep their heads to the ground and make things happen.

Those who accomplishing things don't need to talk a lot, because they have the self-esteem that comes with that.

Derek, I know you're a fan of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In that book, he talks about the "mastermind principle."

If you have the support structure, you're more likely to accomplish things than without it. That's been my experience anyway...

I agree with this whole heartedly, while simultaneously being a blabbermouth.

I agree with David Hoooper on this one. It depends on *who* you are talking to. The mastermind is there to kick your ass and put you into action again whenever you are off track. It is also there to motivate you.

On the other hand (and I am guilty of this), getting too excited and telling just about *everyone* could do what you are suggesting.

Wow - this is topical!

Thanks for posting this, Derek.

Based on your quantity vs quality learning post, I had decided to make it a (public) goal to release a new song / piece of music every few days. Started feeling pretty nervous / anxious about the whole thing almost immediately.

After reading this, I've taken down all posts related to the goal =)

Thanks!

Yeah Derek, I agree.

I can feel the balloon deflating as I talk about my unrealised plans.

I never really thought about it but man, this is so true - explains a few things I've struggled with.

Great tip - I'm printing this and posting it on my corkboard!

this is generally true. although i do know someone i admire a lot who announces that she will do things from the stage at her shows and then does them because she has now forced herself to follow through on something that otherwise she would not have. i have to admit that at times involving the pressure of others has been a tactic that works for me. if something is very precious to me, however, i rarely mention it because i don't want it's purity to get tainted before i create it.

my 2 cents

Thanks for this - I totally agree - My spiritual teacher Hilda Charlton used to say: "Don't take the cake out of the oven until it's baked." Our plans become half-baked if we dissipate the 'heat' of the creativity that's cooking them.

Florence Scovel Shinn, who first wrote about the Law of Attraction in the 1920s (and may have even coined the phrase) also said to keep our goals to ourselves.

Why? Because not everyone will support our endeavors, and the jealousy of another puts negative energy into the universe that's directed at you. Reaching goals is tough enough without someone else dragging us down.

If you pick up on this negative energy, you might actually back down on what you want to accomplish so that you don't incur others' envy.

Once the task is completed, of course, there's nothing anyone can do to derail you as the goal is a done deal.

Shinn advises to be very careful about with whom you share your dreams. Even those close to us can harbor negative feelings about a loved one doing well. If you need help or support in attaining your goals, share them with a therapist or life coach.

Hi everyone,

I have found that reserving comment on my projects eliminates discouragement and negative feedback. From there, I can pace myself, research and build my project in solid layers. I have learned what NOT to do, first hand.

Amazing to read this, for just this morning I was reading the same exact theory in a book on writing. The author said not to talk about your story/novel idea but to jus go and write it. His reason though I am sure was partly based on the self-identity pat-on-the-back concept here, was more based on the burning desire to release aomething artistically, and by talking about it we have released enough to lose the unbridled desire to follow through with it.

I agree, but maybe not for the same reasons.

If talking about something that doesn't come from the heart keeps you from actually achieving it - all the better (I wish I had talked to my friends back when I was planning to get a full-time job as an IT specialist).

Talking about a great idea that is close to your heart has a risk: somebody else might pick it up and realize it before you do. Some of my 'best friends' have done this to me.

I guess the trick is to talk about bad ideas so they lose their spell over you, and to shut up about the great ones.

I think that's over thinking it. I'd say it's a fair assumption to say that very few people actually accomplish a majority of their goals whether they announce them or not, so naturally it seems that those who announce their goals would be the ones that seemingly don't achieve them, but in reality that's just because they have announced it and and are known to have failed rather than if they had not announced them and failed silently, or changed the course of their goals during the process. For the sake of argument, how could you possibly come up with a percentage of people who have not reached their goals if they never mentioned anything to anybody about attaining them in the first place? You couldn't.

Now somebody give me my free coupon.

Very interesting. There have been times when I've been sending out newsletters and writing the 'coming up for the band' stuff realising that its been 'coming up' for quite some time, and wondering if our fans were getting sick of hearing the same thing from us & when the hell were we actually going to DO what we've been saying? I am going to start making 'surprise' announcements instead!

Conversely though, in declaring a particular festival show earlier this year as our cd launch - fairly big news - when we hadn't actually recorded the cd was almost for us a way of ensuring we actually did it. By putting it out there, we gave ourselves no option but to make it happen. We had a very focussed two months!

And to Victor, querying whether writing down your goals works as a tool for motivation...in short, for me, absolutely it does. At the beginning of last year, I made a list with about nine points. All quite huge achievments, but with each one being a step into the next goal (writing a grant application/getting the grant/travel o.s to study & perform/write songs for next album/record/release etc. The last one on my list was something along the lines of " we will launch our cd as part of the festival in a beautiful venue, and it will be sold out". Tick, tick and TICK!


I looked at my list every single day, (goals/affirmations - however you see them), and cemented those ideas in my mind as fact. No ifs, no buts. Every single thing I wrote down became a reality. I know this doesn't always work for everyone, but it works for me..along with the actual *real* work you have to do to make things happen!

In the end, I think it's about balance & understanding how you work best. Some really interesting thoughts posted here...thanks D & everyone

I strongly disagree with this and I think it misses the mark as to what it means to speak your goals out loud. Sure, it's one thing to make empty declarations that are not thought through. But I'm a firm believer in the power of the spoken word and it has worked for me better than anything else. I'm willing to bet that if nobody else knows what you want to achieve, you don't either. Certainly feeling a premature satisfaction which causes you not to follow through is one pitfall, I suppose - along with a host of others. Actually, I don't think it makes any difference whether you speak it out or keep it quiet, as much as it matters if you have a specific goal in mind. Then you are much more likely to achieve it.

Hi Derek: I agree with you I once read a book called Message from a master check it out sometime.

I Have missed hearing from you,and I hope all is well with you. I appreciate all the information I recieve from you. Please continue whenever you can.

I've been in the studio working on the audio book"The Goddess Prophecies" for my wife. It's been 3 months now day and night,so I'm sort of out of the loop for the two more weeks.(75 chapters}with music and special effects, and dialogue with professional actors. Very fun, but tidious.

I'm getting great response on my cd, even with no time to push it, and I'm ready to get back to it. Anyway life is good! Please stay in touch!

Peace

James Whitney

I find it to be true because usually my friends will say how are you going to do this and that? the thing is there are alot of little details that you know or learn and you shouldn't have to be defensive or explain every obstacle away that might happen. My-friends either say well that's great and then proceed to say all the reasons why I can't do it or ask me how soon i will finish or succeed. I find their approval and disapproval just another obstacle when they know much less than I do about what it takes and what is possible. I need to have my own self-confidence and realize that not everyone knows the same things I know-and i shouldn't have to defend myself to every friend.

Also I see Hollywood advertises new movies loooong before they hit the cinema theaters. There also is a proven benefits of advertising before any perduct hits the market.

completely agree with this!!..it can distract from completely the task..
i get sooo much more done if i don't say anything about my plans, and just get it done...
it does do something on a sub conscious level where you feel the idea is partially complete because its announced, i think there is a big difference between declaring it to yourself that it will happen and taking steps to announcing an idea, what you want to alot of people, and suddenly less effort goes there...

Now you tell me... aaaarrrrgggghhhh.
:-)

I totally agreed with you Derek, and mostly for a job that one individual can birth it out. However, if the project is a group work that concerns more than one person, the objectives should be shared.

Talking must never take place until all the pieces to put it together are in place.

Excellent advice. As ever, always so succinctly put.

Say no more.

You could also try the embarrassing yourself into action approach. Make a public announcement of a plan (i.e newsletter or press release). Then you will likely follow it through, or be forever humiliated and feel like a loser. It works for me.

It is not so much the Law of Attraction but the Art of Allowing. We do have to set our intentions but doing it publically does not work for everyone. For some it makes them stay on track so they don't look like fools to those that told their dreams to. I feel if we can't dream, how can our dreams come true? If we set our intentions it is then up to us to allow what doors open for us. They might not be the door we imagined to lead us to our dream but the "right door" will always open even if it is in disguise. Look for opportunity in every turn.

I used to completely subscribe to what you have mentioned here. That was until I read this article:

http://beyondfreelancing.com/2009/09/how-to-kill-a-great-idea/

It says great ideas (and plans) can starve and so they should be given the light of day (aka be shared).

So, would you recommend sharing a great plan with someone or keeping it with yourself?

I am genuinely trying to understand the difference between your post and the above link. Thanks!

It seems the big problem is making things happen - anything that prevents useful positive action (be it financial or creative) should be avoided. Talking something to death is as bad as worrying over it in private. It's like making the same list over and over again and never changing anything.

like the article says, this only effected 63%,the other 37% is in my favour, actions are louder than words whether spoken out loud or in your head

Agree 100%, the best way for a dream not to happen is to share it as soon as you had it, seems to be the way things work in this Universe...

I find your theory interesting but must admit being directly in the middle of an opinion either way? I agree that it may be true, in certain circumstances, but I also think that interacting with those individuals we so trust may be the very support we need to forge onward. The opposite may be true for others--expressing may be completion for some?

I enjoy sharing with those I trust and love--they are often the very encouragement I need. For some--lack of self worth may need that boost? Some may not believe in themself enough to explore, creative or be successful without the love, care and encouragement of those who believe in them?

So, Sir, I agree and disagree--depending on the individual. For me, I enjoy and invite both criticism and suggestions--the belief and compliments are the strokes that edge me forward.

Thank you...

So true.... at 50 years old i finally figured this out on my own. One time I announced in an article that i was "working on an all original CD to be released" the next spring! I did this in order to "force" myself to write and record original material. But i have three kids and writers' block, who was i kidding?

I decided to feel good about this, then I rationalized this with personal actions.

If not for saying something does it not become more obvious? I take notes during class because I'm liable to retain. There are many things I have to do, and many I never accomplish. Tasks I must remember, such as school work, I record in my daily planner (currently I'm lost without it).

There are many items I think would be fun. For many projects, information is recorded within hard drives or notebooks. From completing my resume ( a project started this week), to starting a record store, or even composing the dialogs needed to write a thesis for the current state of democracy/imperialism. These are all projects. Each one can only be done with the alloted time given.

I pick from where I left off. Key concepts are jotted down and looked back upon when given the time.

I find to cut silence I throw in a quick no nothing topic. Sometimes it could be about a project of mine, or it could be fun ideas. "Lets come up with a comedy!" Sometimes, deep in dialog, we ponder how it can be.

This is where I believe many see they are only achieving a premie accomplishment. "One day we're going to clean up this town," coming from the one who misses the trashcan and continues to walk. Ya had good intentions.

Setting goals without objectives is what makes a person fail. They see the finish line but can neither walk nor run.

Best of luck.

wow...can't believe I just read this. It is so true. This stuff falls into the realm of 'initiative' as well. Usually, thinking about what you have to do is alot harder than actually doing it. I have been guilty of yapping about something so much that I lose the inspiration/motivation! Maybe we should be more careful of just who we are announcing our best plans to. The key is choosing folks that are open to inspiration. I heard Derek speak years ago at the Durango Songwriters Expo and that experience still propels me to this very day. He chose to lend his energy, ideas and enthusiasm to a group that was already primed and ready for the content! THANKS AGAIN DEREK

Is this the story of Derek and Muckwork? :) Is this project abandoned? Peace.
After announcing Muckwork, I realized I needed some time off before diving into a new company. I'm back at it now, though. Definitely not abandoned. — Derek

Thanks Derek. I got one less motivation killer.

D-man....this could not have come at a better time..but, enough of that...gotta get back to it...M

Indeed. Of course I've really seen the law of attraction work - but the law of attraction works whether or not you're spewing your load talking shit. The law of attraction is instead about what you're thinking and believing.

Glad someone more successful than me is saying this.

I think this is a bit superstitious, and probably works well for some. That said, I tend to keep certain plans private until I am certain they're in the works, and then begin to extend outward for feedback and help. (How can we get help, get the buzz started, if we don't ask for it?) I like to announce things when they're happening, launching, talk about what I'm actually working on (not thinking about working on). However, I just don't like the superstitious notion that speaking of something in advance dooms it to failure -- too "woo woo" for me. I share with my partner (and some close friends) my ideas, which helps me shape them into reality. I have to admit I do get somewhat annoyed with people who are all talk, little action. I don’t want to be one of those, so I work to make things happen. Ideas are cheap, making ideas a reality, that's the fun (and work) part. I also try to remember that "Work is love made visible." Kahlil Gibran

Working always strategic planning,always think strategic.Governments,banks,military,have always a strategic plan.

The public can find such a example of (simple) planning on http://www.freewebs.com/textarchive

As soon as im done avoidng my next task by writing on this blog i will do the hardest job i know AFFIRM MY ACTIONS.
People like me use affirmations to combat a feeling of never being enough...ie.-Never working hard enough. Everyone that has ever really known me says i work harder than anyone they know. And still my brain tells me i could do more. In my case therefore, my affirmations tell me that even though i havnt toured Italy, recorded my next CD (DIY of course), taken my girlfriend on an island vacation, finished my new buisiness plan, cleaned the bathroom,.....I WILL DO THESE THINGS BUT UNTIL THEN I AM PERFECT AND ENOUGH!
:-)

Derek, you are brilliant.

An answer for Akiko #71, when nosy people want to know what your goals are,,,,,just tell them, "to enjoy the journey".

I think announcing the completion of small tasks has a similar effect. Lots of people do that on twitter. I think people start doing stuff in anticipation of announcing it, and that becomes the primary motivator, and it's a lousy motivator, compared to what would have been the primary motivator otherwise.

Derek:

Coming a little late to the party on this one (my friend Joel Canfield just sent me the link), and I must say that this post shattered a paradigm for me. When I look back at goals I've achieved versus those that I haven't, I have to admit that this may be the culprit. I'm going to test the theory out on a couple of ideas for projects I've got cooking, and see if "zipping it" works.

Thanks for a great post!

Jerry

i both agree/disagree(sounds like an oxymoron)! LOL!i am devout user(notice i didn't say just believer)of the law of attraction. some people talk, and some walk.i have learned alot over the past few years about these natural laws and living our lives following our dreams.i found it IS beneficial to speak of your intentions,but here's the BUT! only do so with discretion,because your heart knows if you are telling someone who may be a naysayer.tell those who are supportive. you have to reprogram your heart(subconscious) to belive your intentions.tell only select people. i ahve learned when to keep zipped and when to talk.all i know is that when i mention something i continue working towards my goals.i've actually learned that i have been putting in too much action at times.sound weird, huh! there is aflow where we can attract things with little effort if we know where to direct our energy.

may everyone here achive their dreams(i'm still working on mine),john t

I'm gonna reply to this article, so keep your eyes open!

I TOTALLY AGREE SHUT UP until its rollin...i made the mistake of blabberin"intentions" fgor years and thats all they stayed at....intentions not realisations big difference and one thingthat really annoys me is people who put FAKE tour dates in europe and elsehwere on their myspace pages..abso-lute-leeeee right blab it it goes out you feel good and then unmotivated to complete it...good one again!

i see many bands wanting to do a christmas cd and "cash in" phooey when i worked for johnny limbo the same thing occured they made a great xmas album but who needs a christmas album any time of the year besuides xmas??? how about a haloween album.. seems to be a bigger better holiday or if you are a band make a FREE christmas song or 2 and give em away at cdbaby or on your own......winter holidayis way too commercial as it is..

My mom, also a performing musician, and I have noticed that INVARIABLY when people announce to us that they're coming to our shows, that's when they don't come. It's as if saying they would come completed the act of coming for them, and removed any further obligation to act. This has always seemed uncanny, but your article makes perfect sense of it!
Interesting! You're right! I think I've noticed that too. Thanks for pointing it out. — Derek

What I am especially and consistently astounded by, Derek, in these short brilliant squirts of yours, is/are the perfect pictures at the happy ending. Do you find these? Do you make them? Are they the originators of your speeches or the cherry on the top?
Thanks! I use flickr.com Creative Commons-licensed photos, and always try to reference the photographer's URL in the HTML tags for the image. (And the images always come after I finish writing the article. The “cherry on top”.) — Derek

I both agree and disagree. For my own part, I didn't really get to the point where I actually put out my music until I actually started telling people that it was happening. But be sure to tell the people that support you and not just any guy in the street. And also, I've noticed that I get more motivated to follow through when I involve more people in the process than just myself. But that means having to tell them, right?

すげー。目からウロコです。

Agreed, I didn't quite smoking until I stopped saying I was going to and just one day out of the blue, QUIT!

I've been thinking about this post for months now, ever since I first read it. And I think I agree with the person who commented that telling others about our plans is one thing, but telling others about our dreams (goals, desires) is another.

I think it's true that talking too much about our dreams can ruin them by making us less motivated about them because it gives us a feeling of having already partly achieved it. And also, telling others can also arouse alot of jealousy.

I was once telling a friend about my ultimate goals as a writer and as I was speaking her husband leaned across the table, snapped his fingers in my face and said, "one, two, three...you're back in the room" and then he laughed loudly. I've never forgotten it. I'm not sure if it made me angry or upset. But I did resolve right there and then to never share my goals and ambitions with anyone.

And now I'm quietly, happily and confidently, on my way to achieving my ultimate writing goals.

I've also read exactly the opposite - that declaring a commitment INCREASES the chance of following through. I tried to find the link to the study before posting this comment, but couldn't.

Sheryl Canter
Author, Normal Eating for Normal Weight

I found this posting after my friend had sent me another one...

I have ALWAYS had the feeling that saying it out loud would shatter the determination you feel when you keep it in. However, I DO trust my gut and if it tells me to say something to someone, I usually will. When you trust your instincts, sometimes they help guide you towards your goals or perhaps to something better than you could've imagined!

I tend to disagree in certain scenarios. The research of Julian B. Rotter suggests that people have different ways of attributing cause to effect. The majority of individuals share an external locus of control, basically meaning that they tend to feel that things in life happen because of something someone else did.

Internal locus of control refers to the feeling that that most things in life that happen, happen because of something done by the person at hand.

I think it stands to reason that externally motivated individuals are satisfied by sharing their goals (external affirmation), and an internally motivated individual is satisfied by actualizing their predictions (internal affirmation)

My 2 pennies.

Also...Wikipedia says Rotter did his thing in '54.

Just sayin'...

I disagree.

I've always dreamt of running a marathon. My father ran multiple marathons, so I wanted to continue the tradition. I had tried to start training but hadn't stuck with it. So I did the one thing I knew would force me to see it through to the end -- I told my father about it.

That I got injured the week of the race and couldn't (and still haven't been able to) run it is beside the point. If I hadn't stuck my neck out, I would never have gotten as far as I did.

I wonder if the zipit factor has anything to do with the success Apple is currently experiencing? They are a very secretive company and I'd be interested to see if this factor applies to companies too...

I love the Wicklund / Peter M. Gollwitzer paper - and found a neat article in Slate which adds further supporting evidence: http://www.slate.com/id/2237674/pagenum/all/#p2

Nice post Derek - cheers.

Brian

Counter-intuitive, but so true in some cases.

Specifically, when you're announcing your plans to people that won't or can't hold you accountable for following through.

Interesting post, it is definitely thought provoking.

I will try to maintain a balance of showing others my future plans and announcing just to get that false sense of completion.

Thanks for the great post

I AM WITH YOU ON THIS ONE TOO. BOY ARE YOU MAKING A WHO-O-O-O-O-LE
LOT OF SENSE. WE ARE EGOTISTIC IN OUR OWN WAYS WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO ADMIT IT AND TALKING UP A STORM IS EASY AND DOES JUSTIFY OUR EMENCE EGO THEREBY NEGATING THE NEED AND DESIRE TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT WHICH WE SPEAK. BUT THE "SHUT UP" AND "PUT UP" CONCEPT GIVES US THE DRIVE WE NEED TO EXECUTE. I LIKE NIKE AND MICHAEL JORDAN - DAMN IT - "JUST DO IT".

Wow that`s so true

INNER SELF (DEMANDING MORE FROM ONE'S SELF)
By Miles Patrick Yohnke
© 2006 © 2010 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.

In my life I've met many a person, many an artist. Unfortunately most never
reach their goals. I asked myself why? Over the years I have been watching,
studying, and analyzing how it is that some people make it and others don't.

One of the reasons I believe some achieve their goals is their inner self.

The people I've been privileged to watch succeed have an intensity about
them. They demand everything from themselves. They show up everyday, in fact
every moment, and they are accountable to themselves. Everything they do has
a hard statement, and they know when to stop. Very impressive.

I asked an artist recently why he wasn't where he wanted to be. His replied
was, "It seems I want to learn, maybe you might say that learning was what I
really wanted to do, more than achieve."

We have to stop telling people what we are going to do, what we have not yet
accomplished, and tell them instead what we have accomplished. Only in this
way can we be accountable for our actions. I am not accountable for
achievements I have not yet reached, but I am what I have accomplished.

What steps are you going to take today to achieve?

Widely recognized and award-nominated engineer, producer, writer, poet and
founder and C.E.O. of 5 Star Productions, Miles Patrick Yohnke brings many
years of experience to the music industry; including many awards in sales
and marketing. If you are looking at developing your career, Yohnke offers
consulting in person, by phone or via email. For more info, please contact
him directly at: 306.227.6379 or email at: miles@5-starproductions.com.

I agree..thought waves I believe,are much more powerful than the spoken word to command,create,communicate,have dominion of,to direct, bring to actuality, one's dreams and aspirations..

I disagree :) Sharing my plans ahead of time, especially in interviews, kicks my ass into gear to actually accomplishing my goals because I know I'll look like a douche if I don't follow through. If I don't say anything at all, I get lax and have the highest rate of failure because there's no pressure or time frame to actually get it done, since no one knows about it. Yes sir, this is what works for me!

Sinem Saniye

Não é bem assim, esqueceu-se porem de dividir os resultados por classes sociais.

Eu só tenho successo se anunciar ao mundo, a toda a gente, precisamente o que vou fazer. É certo que por vezes tenho de alterar alguns planos, mas funciona muito melhor.

Não baseie a sua opinião final tendo por base uma pequena amostra.

Just get on with it. Make a start, with no announcements and you will soon find your flow. I spent years saying I was a songwriter, no one listened until I made my own ep and got signed. A product is better than hot air. People need to see and hear it to get it. Now I need to listen to my own advice.

Totalmente de acuerdo, solo que no todos estamos preparados para aceptar que nuestros seres queridos nos oculten las cosas, yo he practicado esta filosofía por años y realmente funciona, aunque te ganas la fama de egoista o antisocial...

'silence seals the power'

buenisisisimo. interesante, no lo habia persibido de esa manera. Apoyo el hecho de reservar nuestras metas. Ocurre que cuando lo cuentas, nunca falta alguien que te diga, "eso no va a funcionar", "donde estas, estas bien, para que cambiar", "y si te va mal". Gracias.

Wow! That's really interesting info and dare I say practical? It's worth a shot no doubt if you aren't having the success you'd like.

Hi Derek:
Great idea ... as always your ideas transcend the world of music and can easily apply to any other business. I once went to work for a Medical Device company that was attempting to implement its management system on a newly acquired facility. I had done an implementation consultation and contract before and basically we agree to a plan and implement. Unfortunately, with the medical device company management insisted on me developing and publishing a plan and a strategy. This went on for over a week and after interviews with employees they said that management never successfully implemented the implementation. I attempted to explain to management "let's get on with it already". Nope ... let's talk about .... blah, blah, blah blah .... I left. At some point I realized that this management was too stubborn to reason with. I left them with one plan ... and that was for every employee involved to send in a short summary of what they felt the goal was and how they would be contributing ... management did not care for that plan either but I still sent the email out and left ... yadda, yadda, yadda!

I have known 2 people who have announced huge plans that appeared to be pie-in-the-sky and seemed unreachable considering who and where they were when they announced their intentions to anyone and everyone who would listen. Both have accomplished them and much more. Now both considered the at the very pinnacle of their professions.

Then there are those who talk a good game but never walk the talk. They face the psychological humiliation of others who finally say in frustration: "Poop or get off the Pot."

Finally there are those who work hard and long toward accomplishing their goals but after years of time, effort and money spent have not yet succeeded.

Here talking IS needed and could produce useful feedback about how and where to change in order to succeed or if their goal itself (turning lead into gold) is flawed.

Success seems tied to having correct, clear goals and to the individual personality type rather than a hard and fast rule about talking or not talking about what you want to accomplish.

Наврное все таки правда.. Буду молчать ))

Да уж! но визуализация не предполагает, что вы о своих намерениях будете кричать на каждом углу! Этим вы занимаетесь сами, наедине со своей личностью, а не рассказываете всем.То есть в данном случае все зависит от человека!
Сама не люблю тех, кто хвастает еще не законченными делами, но визуализацией пренебрегать не буду из-за этого - она работает, независимо от наших желаний!

I really like this post, I use to announce my goals to friends and contacts.

But in most cases I would fail to achieve them. I thought that if I told people I would work harder to make things happen..

This was not the case at all. Now I keep m goals private and find myself working harder and faster to reach them so I can tell others what I have accomplished, not what I plan to accomplish.

I have reached more goals this way than before, I think more people need to know this.

This is exactly how I've always been, for exactly the same reasons. I've just never been able to explain it to people well. A lot of my friends talk WAY too much about their crazy ideas that NEVER materialize. I just can't bear to do the same thing.

Totalmente de cuerdo. Me ha gustado tu web, está bastante limpia y amplia para leer cómodamente y ni hablar del material que tiene mucho valor informativo.

Suerte en tu proyecto.

Архангельский в своём "Тайм-драйве" наоборот говорит, что огласка своих планов мотивирует к их реализации. То есть, создание цейтнота.
Если публично заявить: "через два месяца я брошу курить", то сомневаюсь, что это создаст "социальную реальность" в которой больше не будет табачного дыма, кашля и дополнительной статьи расходов на сигареты.

God, yes. Thank you! I think there are probably different types of people. For some, it works one way, for some it works the opposite way. Last couple of years I was thinking about it, because one of my highly respected mentors recommends talking about his plans (and he has accomplished A LOT) and I was wondering, how come whenever I talk about things I came up with it's almost a sure thing that I will put it off no matter how bad I want it. I might hate myself for it, yell at myself, make myself do it but I would just absolutely not want to do it. Thank you so much for posting this blog. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Por algo algunos piensan que contar sus planes trae mala suerte!

The lost art of keeping a secret.(qotsa)

I think this applies to all aspects about our lives.

This was pretty cool!

Wow! so many great replies complimenting the act of keeping quiet:)

However, for me once I announce something, that's it. It's in the works and only a little time before being successfully completed. But maybe my announcements happen fairly late in the game after much thought.

Wish I had read this years ago. It's self-sabotage, I say!
Thanks for the helpful article.
-DJ

Wenn A für Erfolg steht, gilt die Formel
A= X + Y + Z
X ist Arbeit, Y ist Muße und Z heißt Maul halten.

(Albert Einstein)

agreed completely.......I have a friend who told someone his plans to buy some land and put in a subdivision......lo and behold, this 'friend' went and tried to buy the land out from under him... shoulda kept it secret

Perfect! This is perfectly said.

I understand what is being said, and there is much truth in this, however I find that when I say something out loud to people about my attentions it makes it more real and gives me the motivation to make it happen. However, this is based on guilt complex - If I dont do what I said I was going to do, I feel like crap. So, maybe in the long run it is better to keep quite till after the fact:-)

Really smart and worthwhile stuff here. Glad to say I followed your advice without having read it! Can't wait to read everything here.

I'm forever saying to my husband, 'less chat, more action'. as he proceeds to advise me what exactly his ideas are in exact detail for the next diy project on our family home. It has been in diy hell since just before the birth of my first son, 13 years ago: elec wires hanging down from non existent ceilings, walls taken down, put up and taken down again. I can sit on my toilet, see the light in the kitchen and he will ask me what I am doing in the toilet...is there no sanctuary for me? Don't ask what happens when we have visitors up for a meal.

The he says 'what do u want me to do next?' and I say 'whatever' knowing one day he might get around to something. It doesn't bother me at all, I really don't mind any more if he doesn't finish the house...(however a ceiling in the kitchen would be nice)

But what does bother me is him talking about what he is going to do when i know he just hasn't the time or motivation to do it!!!

I like doing,silently doing and achieving but only within my known capabilities. He is not this, but he does try very hard and he will have a go where others fear to tread. He just isn't any good at finishing a job but will happily talk for ages about doing it.

My goal is to buy a small prostitution slave ranch in Nevada and voting Republican. Discuss.

Hmm, I'll keep this in mind.

i doubt this is true for everybody... but for those that it is true for, it seams to hold for them absolutely.

I just answered this tweet http://twitter.com/audio/statuses/20380757290 with this post.. :)

Damned interesting! One of humanities greatest problem is eliminating all the false truths of common logic/wisdom. Unfortunately, this doesn't progress too well. For example, in the age of the Internet it is so easy/tempting to tell the whole world what you'r doing (and then never do it?) You don't run across posts like yours very often (or the research that backs it up) That's why it is so important to publicize these facts as much as possible. Thank you for this one.

-Dan

Great stuff!

ok, ok ok....i'm learning a lot. keep it up

I am so glad I read this today. It opened my eyes to see the light!! People usually ask me what am I doing in my musical career, I end up telling them and then afterwards feel as though I have to be on a time limit to get things out there so it won't be long forgotten about to the fans.

I think now I will stay on the surface as to what I'm doing and not go to the depth of my ideas with them. Our words hold great POWER and we should watch how we say them and limit them at times.

I think we tend to say things out loud as intentions to convince ourselves we are "going to" do something and to garner support for it (and to look like we're actively pursuing something worthwhile), when we may not be quite committed yet to doing it.

Maybe the disparity in stating the intention and achieving it is buried in how solidly we are committed to it.

I think sometimes we have to say things out loud or in writing to test ourselves, consciously or otherwise -- as in, how right does that intention feel when I say I'm going to achieve it? Is it realistic? Could I really do the work for what I want?

And who cares if we fail? For personal goals, we are our only judge usually, and we can just regroup, move the deadline, and state another intention. There's no real consequence for failure. But for work goals, other people are judging our performance. Maybe there's more to lose and more incentive to follow through.

Amazing how quickly we are satisfied!
We tend toward "just enough" in our accomplishments, even when "just enough" ends at a pat-on-the-back for good intention

I never really thought of this scientifically {SP?} but I know that this is true. When something is special to you and you blab it all over the place you are bound to lose motivation or excitment because the people you are talking to (even close friends~) just don't 'get it.'

Да, с одной стороны согласна, есть тут доля правды. Но из моего личного опыта, если я рассказываю о своих планах, и проговариваю это вслух с как можно большим количеством людей, мало того, что эти люди подкидывают мне новые идеи для реализации задуманного,так я как бы начинаю жить в новой, созданной самой собой реальности. Так что для меня все как раз наоборот...

Hmm, not sure i agree with this one based on my own experiences. I think it really depends on the person and if they are someone who sticks by "their word". I have told people i am doing things even before i have started doing them because i then feel like " well thats it ive said im doing it, i have no choice now" and i do it.

Personally I agree with you. But I also believe it depends on the personality of the person though. I'm rather a person who needs to put all of my energy concentrated at one single thing to get it done. If I share my idea with others, I'd already lose part of my energy and I'd obviously need more time to re-gather the needed amount of energy to get it done.

so so true!

I just read through your notes on Personal Development for Smart People Where it says, "Tell people your goals so they can hold you accountable."
I think both sides apply, maybe tell those who you know will hold you accountable.

Yes its true Derek. If you want to have a exact scientific data out regarding this. I can get this from my life since the past 10 years. Thanks a lot for letting me know. I thought speaking out is being open and I let made my motives and goals and shared and motivated people to be open .But now I know why I had been a failure in atleast the last 5 years when I had told my mind out many times.
Guys, This is true 100%
Keep yourself shut on your goals and big motivations.

I know all of this. whenever i am alone doing something i never tell the truth about what i was doing, "oh i was just playing games, reading magazines, you know." rather than,"i was studying intensely, also cleaned my room and i was so responsible and productive." if someone asks, "have you been working out?" i have never said yes as long as i can remember in at least the past 5 years. unfortunately with a girl friend, this is actually counter intuitive. it is seen as, "you're lying to me, all this time, every time i ask you you lie to me. you think i'm stupid? is that all i am to you?" i love her, and that's not inteded, in fact what is she to whine about if she gets a smart, strong, handsome boyfriend if he lies that he studies and works out??? i'm not cheating on you, watching porno or going to strip clubs with my guy friends... but rationality does not work in such logic in women...

what do i do?

tell the truth and become a pot head couch potato, or keep some secrets to become who you are meant to be.

the Prophet Mohamed said: "help yourself to realise your project by not telling about them"

You are so right !!!! I have not been able to accomplish anything to move forward in the past year. "State you intentions" is out the window right now !!! Thank you so much for untwisting a false belief system.
Who knew ??
Blessings,
Josephine

what about long term commitments, how does sharing affect those?

Young people are constantly asked to articulate their goals and accomplishments. The two are all too often unrelated and frequently merge in confusing ways. I know this was true of me and I see it in my students, especially as they prepare to go off to college. This is especially true in the arts. Harsh judgments are made about the work of seasoned professionals. Student "goals" are so much more profound than professional careers.

How about this: You get what you are getting, because you do what you are doing. If you don't like what you are getting you need to change what you are doing…

Some people are "successful" others aren't. It's not just about the sharing of goals it's about the whole methodology...

I have to admit that, based on my own personal experience, I just don't agree with this at all. Like many things, it may be true for some people, but certainly has not been for me. In late March of this year I started a Facebook group to announce that I wanted to lose 40 lbs by September 1. I also set up a page on my Website to measure my weight each Sunday morning, and my exercise every day. I did lose my 40 lbs by the target date, and there was no question to me that, on many nights, there was no way I would have gone out for a run if I didn't know that my friends could check and see whether or not I did.

Again, it may be a very individual thing, but for me personally, announcing my goals and plans for getting there is a huge motivator and proven help toward getting there.

I have found this to be true as well. If you tell everyone about your plans, it's like giving away your energy to follow through. I also love that "she's got something under her hat" look that I get when I've got something going.

I want to say something, but I decided to keep it to myself.. Wooooooot!

Robert Frost has a quotation that states your point succinctly:
"Talking is a hydrant in the yard and writing is a faucet upstairs in the house. Opening the first takes the pressure off the second."

I agree with this idea - for almost all circumstances. I can think of one or two exceptions.

I attempted to give up smoking about 8 times over a twenty year period. For all but the last attempt, I kept my goal private. I resumed smoking within one to two years in all cases. The last time I smoked a cigarette, I had declared it to my friends - chosen New Year's Eve to do it, stubbing out my last cigarette in front of them, ceremoniously, to great applause. I have been a non-smoker ever since (four years ago) with no struggle whatsoever, finding the faintest whiff of cigarette smoke nauseating.

I realise I didn't declare my first seven attempts because I was afraid I would fail, and because, deep down, I didn't really want to give up. I finally declared my goal once I had made a stone cold decision, deep in my heart, to stop for good. I was absolutely determined and so wanted to share this moment with my friends, knowing I would never have to explain myself to them if I took up smoking again.

In the end, if you make a decision to do something - and you are as clear as ice about it - you will do it.

If you are uncertain, then sure, declaring your intention will make it even less likely that you achieve it.

Just an observation.

I tell ONLY to people I know will support me... just to feel a kick in the butt and positive energy... Some people you shouldn't tell, or they will put negative energer onto it... Otherwise, I think what you're talking about in this article works only in the sense that sometimes people say it but they still don't believe in it...
thoughts?

Really interesting argument Derek!

I think sometimes there needs to be a balance.. I find that talking to people about projects and goals fuels my motivation and despite giving a slight feeling of premature completition it does also make you more excited about making the goal a reality.

I'm going to give it a shot and keep my mouth shut, thanks for the great tip.

Rumi the sufi mystic and poet spoke of this when when he wrote:

Inner Secrets

When your heart becomes the grave of your secrets, that desire of yours will be gained more quickly.
The prophet said that anyone who keeps secret his inmost thought will soon attain the object of his desire.
When seeds are buried in the earth, their inward secrets become the flourishing garden.

"Tell half the people half of what you have done - AFTER you have done it" was one of the best pieces of advices I was given a long time ago.

I loved hearing your TED Talk on this as it challenges everything I get from the motivational speaker bunch.

And I do like a challenge. When I'm about to write a story, if I tell someone the story, I don't have the same motivation to write it, and it generally turns out poorly.

And I like to think that I write my own life, so I'm unscientifically going to extrapolate this to my life and take your advice to zip it.

Siempre pense que era un buen consejo... pero ahora se que tiene sustento cientifico... muy bueno

This is such a great point Derek. I also think that some people that announce their goals are insecure because they feel like they have to tell everyone what they are up to to gain validation. The best way to announce your goal is to write it on a piece of paper for yourself. Everyone will gradually know what you are up to once you start accomplishing your goals. Zen philosophy has helped me a lot in understanding how to control ego.

Thanks for the post Derek.

Have a great weekend.

Cheers,
Nabil

I sooooooo concur with this!

Nunca lo habia visto asì,sino al contrario,pero me parece creible al primer vistaso.
Creo que con probar no cuasta nada y lo voy a intentar.

Interesting finding.


You may want to check out http://www.GoalsOnTrack.com, a very nicely built web app designed for tracking goals and todo lists, and supports time tracking too. It's clear, focused, easy to navigate, worth a try.

So speak up, suicidal people!
!!! Great point. — Derek

This is a one-sided story that empowers people that lack the motivation to make things happen.

What these "studies" don't take into consideration is the rise of mass media and the increased tendency towards a sedentary lifestyle in developed countries.

If you believe that announcing your intentions is a formula for failure, congratulations! You've found another excuse for your inability to execute on your visions.

This data strikes me as true. I find that I'm much happier if I just go out and do something vs. announcing to everyone what I will do. I also find it's much more motivating to imagine what people will say once it's done.

Hey all,

We're launching a new site to try and help people with their goals by keeping them secret but still having access to a community to encourage them on.

http://www.secretgoals.com

Hopefully it will help people take advantage of this research.

This post makes sence, yet I wonder.

If telling someone can make you "feel" a sence of acomplishment, than wouldnt it seem logical that over long periods of time of not saying whats on your mind, could lead to a self destructive point of view.

"I cant tell anyone about this or it will never get done."

Sounds to me like there are alot of psycological negitives in that.

I thought that sharing ambitions with others and fleshing out ideas against sounding boards was the optimal part of planning that would lead to accomplishment.

It kinda nullifiys any notion of colabertation and open communication within a teamwork enviroment.

One other thing I would like to point out is, if these tests were done in 1933, wasnt there enough evidence to prove this theroy to institutionalize it? Why isnt this taught as this is the way its done?

I've always thought the opposite. We'll that explains (in part) why I haven't gotten my demo done. :-)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/28/new-years-resolutions-doomed-failure

"People who kept their resolutions tended to have broken their goal into smaller steps and rewarded themselves when they achieved one of these. They also told their friends about their goals, focused on the benefits of success and kept a diary of their progress.

People who planned a series of smaller goals had an average success rate of 35%, while those who followed all five of the above strategies had a 50% chance of success, the study found."

Wow! This makes so much fucking sense to me now. That's all I've been doing almost my whole life just telling this and that about my future. Funny thing was that I never came around to my fruitions. This will def. be something I will live by.

very interesting post I always thought it would be the opposite, cuz I'd like to keep my words, so I don't tell friends' my goal unless I feel very confident that can achieve it. Isn't that give you extra pressure so you need to accomplish what you said?

In Hindu Philosophy this is termed as 'Sankalp'on a personal front where the major achiever is secret yourself.This falls in very private domain like money,property,sex,health and knowledge.here ony you are responsible of the target ant its attainment.No one is really concerned and therefore to achieve it you have to keep silence about it.moreover if you announce it and do not achieve it you loose face.
In public domain it may be worthwhile to declare your intentions if you seek support from those concerned.However if you are not very popular you are risking as you will create detractors and spoil chances for attainment of the objective !

I did not realised this before, but I felt guilty every time I told someone's my ideas about my next photography project. You have explained me the reason why I'm not accomplishing them. Thank you very much! From now on, less talking, more work.

Exactly the advise I was looking for today, Derek! Had a bad day and nothing moved forward when i stumbled across this blog entry. it suddenly made "WOW" and the message hit me in the face like a hammer.

thanks for the great advice!

I completely disagree, Derek (despite the fact that I loved an earlier post of yours). In MY experience, telling people what I am planning to do establishes the guidelines of what I am going to do and puts me in the frame of mind that I need to accomplish the task. That's always been the case with me. And I'm a scientist, so despite that, I don't lend credibility to the study :)

this makes think hard! :)

I would HAVE to review the literature on this... but I recall from my social psychology classes taught by Robert Cialdini, the Godfather of persuasion and influence psychology, and other members of his team at Arizona State University, that studies following people who publicly declared their desire to remain sexually abstinent until marriage, and had their declarations posted publicly at their high-schools/universities, concluded to find a significant increase in these subjects refraining from their pledged sexual activity.

Obviously the self-reporting plays a factor, but there were other examples as well. Ultimately, the basis for this conclusion was on principles of Social Proof, Social Loafing, and Public Accountability; i.e. the more people that hold you accountable for a behavior, the more likely you are to comply with the group's perception of what is behaviorally acceptable.

I don't doubt that some of the theory mentioned here holds true, that some "satisfaction" is gained from the public announcement, and thus less action might be taken. But it could ultimately depend on the context of the situation.

For example: publicly declaring you are going to start a blog, and then failing, has less of a social impact on one's perceived identity as declaring "I'm going to remain sex free until marriage."

So I feel, at this time, that it depends on how much the behavior pertains to an individuals personal identity and values.

Can anyone with a background in Social Psychology add or detract from this? I'm curious...

What the .. ? You could have told me this BEFORE I made a web site with my projects listed. lol.
http://www.petesprojects.com.au .... Oh well I will have to make them happen even sooner now just to buck the trend. :) - Hey thanks for the forum, it is really enjoyable reading the comments. Pete

Great information. I got lucky and found your site from a random Google search. Fortunately for me, this topic just happens to be something that I've been trying to find more info on for research purposes. Keep up the great work and thanks a lot.

I wonder if this applies to entering in a journal? I don't tell friends my music project goals, but I do write about them in a personal journal. Wonder if I'm hitting the same "identity symbols"...

There's another very good reason for not talking about your plans. Unless you have an extremely supportive family - thank your lucky stars if you do, because it's incredibly rare - and real friends, the effects of talking about plans can be absolutely devastating. Those close to you will almost always point out why you shouldn't go ahead with what you have in mind and come up with a thousand reasons why you should do nothing.

Worse, what you say will be used against you at a later date - 'Remember that project you were talking about last year. You didn't do anything about that, did you? And I bet this one won't come to anything either.' etc, etc.

Personally, I make it a point only to talk to my family about things that I've done, never about my projects. And if I can leave the news as long as possible, so that it's old news, then I will. Simple survival technique.

Another very strange thing, particularly about families, is that because they've seen you growing up and think they know you really well, they can't believe that you are capable of doing anything outstanding. Another very good reason for shutting up until the CD or whatever is back from the factory.

I realize that this may strike some people as sad, but the fact is that many of the people who should be on your team are often actually playing against you, whether consciously or unconsciously. It's indispensable to recognize the people you can trust and the people you can't. And then if you've got to talk about your project, you know whom to talk to.

Woww! Thanks for this article! Now I understand everything. I absolutely agree because I feel like right now!

Thx. for this. I will keep my mouth shot :)

I'm currently reading Kitty Kelly's completely trashy biography about Oprah. Apparently, Oprah was voicing her raging ambitions and goals from her early years...and look where that got her. Guess there's an exception to every rule. We run lots of leadership peer groups where people publically put out their goals and then talk the next month about how they did against them. From my observation, the people that put them out there are the ones that actually do make progress. It's the one's that don't seem to commit to anything specific that seem to end up 12 months down the road where they started. That's my 2 cents.

This is really true. That is why I am not telling my plans to any of my friends. Thanks for writing this article by the way. :)

Thanks for this post. From now on I'd never tell anyone about my plans in the future, or even tell about some positive vibes. :-)

Walk the talk! That's the best plan you can come up with.

"talking is used to hide one's ability to act" - Jenny Holzer

Absolutely true and amazing. Can't wait to go through the pdf you've provided (thank you, btw).

I disagree. I consider myself a man of my word so telling someone actually motivates me to get things done.

If I already told someone I was going to do it then I MUST make it happen. It's a commitment that I have made from my perspective.

It may not happen today or this year or maybe not even in five years from now but eventually it WILL happen as soon as I can get my resources aligned toward the goal.

I too have somehow intuitively known this all along and I have several examples where I didn't speak and was able to achieve something or I spoke and didn't. Thanks for putting it in words, and convincingly :)

je partage totalement cette idée, mais parfois il peut être utile de divulguer ses objectives à n'importe qui parce que cela est considéré comme un engagement vis à vis des autres dans notre subconscient, ce qui fait que nous sommes poussé constamment à prendre action et persévérer dans la bonne direction pour atteindre ses objectifs et respecter cet engagement.

Talking about your vision disperses the energy. Seeds need darkness and time to sprout and then grow. I remember an old song, "You talk too much," - sorry can't sing it for you here.
Elizabeth

This is so incredibly true -- the thing is, when you tell people, not only will they do the "Go you!" thing, but when you buckle down and start doing the work, those exact same people will start going, "Lighten up! You're taking it so seriously!" The same cheerleaders are now underminers!

I did this when I started studying viola. I stewed on it for 6 mos, made sure I wanted to do it, and then just bought the thing, found a teacher, and said NOTHING. Now, over a year later and plowing my way through, I have told a FEW close friends, but I still do not talk about the day to day grind. I have a music diary blog, and have turned the comments off. Dealing with the rest of the world would suck away energy that I need to focus on the viola itself. Much better to just buckle down and do it than to get sidetracked either by criticism or premature applause.

I'm currently reading Kitty Kelly's completely trashy biography about Oprah. Apparently, Oprah was voicing her raging ambitions and goals from her early years...and look where that got her. Guess there's an exception to every rule. We run lots of leadership peer groups where people publically put out their goals and then talk the next month about how they did against them. From my observation, the people that put them out there are the ones that actually do make progress. It's the one's that don't seem to commit to anything specific that seem to end up 12 months down the road where they started. That's my 2 cents.

I partly agree but partly disagree with this point of view - depending on the person making the statement.

As someone who has made a career out of motivating successful sales people and teaching others to manage, I have seen time and again how "calling your shot" pushes one to work harder to accomplish a goal -- IF IT IS THE RIGHT PERSON.

A person of high commitment and integrity is motivated by affirmative statements. They feel that, by making a statement that something WILL happen, it is their moral obligation to make it so.

People who are not fully committed to accomplishing a specific goal or task can easily move away from the goal.

If someone is really committed to something, writing down and talking about goals are integral steps towards taking action.

Pour te faire écho, je crois que lorsqu'on annonce nos objectifs trop prématurément, c'est à dire dès l'illumination ou l'idée de génie, on devient un grand parleur et un petit faiseur la plupart du temps.

Et c'est parce qu'on ne comprend pas suffisamment l'idée de persévérence, et que l'on rencontre du sceptiscisme, de l'envie, du réalisme-négatif de la part des autres. De plus notre subconscient, qui fait son travail à merveille, nous fait faire de l'auto-sabotage pour que nous revenions au connu, qui est notre zone de confort et de sécurité.

Alors, pour connaitre l'heureuse atteinte d'objectifs il faut savoir avec précision pourquoi conciensciemment et émotivement on veut l'atteindre en premier lieu, et ensuite se répéter le pourquoi plusieurs fois par jour. La répétition et la persévérence sont les clés les plus importantes pour ouvrir ces portes du succès.

Derek,

Saw your ted videos and they are awesome. I have started doing what you have written in the article and I have noticed that I want to keep on achieving what I need to and before I would have stopped earlier so you are right.

Thanks for sharing the idea.

In 1982, I quit smoking without announcing it to anyone. I didn't smoke again for 15 years. After smoking again for 14 years, 11 months ago, I did the same thing - I quite without telling - and am still quit. My rationale was that the expectations raised in the telling created anxiety for me that was counter-productive but this theory makes sense, too.

I've heard of this before and it's a great reminder at present, as I know this happens to me all the time.

Like many here, I think there's room for nuance here, as sometimes sharing ideas is what helps them develop, or in my case, I tend to come up with my best ideas in the act of conversation. I think what this phenomena is most closely tied to is when you share an idea simply for the sake of sharing it. Not because you need help working out a piece of it. Not because you need encouragement. Specifically when you're looking for preemptive validation... however unconsciously.

Talking about my personal experience: Since i'm very proud and sensitive to be ridiculous if i finally doesn't accomplish my goals and my plans after talk about this plans to other people, i prefer to fight with all my strengths in order to win than expose my failure.
When you talk about your plans most people will tell you that you will never accomplish them. This must give you more power to fight for this plans.

We talk about doing certain stuff, but it's just displaced emotion - we never have any intention to actualy do it - this is the real lie. If you keep it to yourself,it must have meaning, because you were not trying to gain free social or psychological benefit from it in the first place; you were just going to do it. This was normal behaviour once.

my first thought was "wow, insane", because I kinda always knew it, but now that I read it, the truth has realigned it self

I can definitely see where this point is valid, and how the results of the study came about.

For my opinion on whether we should vocalize our goals or not, check out my website: http://elizabethyork.com/should-you-tell-people-your-goals

Cialdini's book "Influence:Psychology of Persuasion" actually implied that writing down something makes it more likely that you will accomplish it because you have physical proof reminding you of what you want to do. It acts to reinforce your beliefs and behavior. I'm not sure if there is a distinction between talking and writing, but sales people are often encouraged to write down their goals for that reason.

I'll give it a try. Since high school I'll start a project and never finish it. Start a book and never read it. Come up with a business idea or product and never get started. The only thing I've really completed was giving birth twice - had no other option! So I'll go get started on that quilt right now! I'm trying to figure out why I'm like this..

I decided to listen to this advice, and I created http://www.autoplaydisabler.us I could say that I'm on a half way, but anyway, I already achieved many goals about this project, and I am sure that I would not achieve so much if I was telling to someone about this project... Thanks Derek!

I agree to this whole idea only partly. My thoughts are on my latest blog post- fiona.elimisha.us

Das stimmt tatsächlich, konnte ich auch schon öfter an mir selbst beobachten. Reden ist eben leichter als Dinge in die Tat umzusetzen

hmmm, that was a good read..
take care..

ticklethythoughts.blogspot.com

Hey Derek,
Really enjoyed your TED talk. I notice that I boldly announce, a lot of the time, what I am going to achieve and 9/10 times it doesn't happen, so I will learn to shut my mouth from now on.

Cheers
Steve

It was very useful
I've experienced this mindset... Exactly right
tanx

I agree. I can think of a couple of examples of having this exact experience, which definitely left me feeling discouraged about the whole goals process. Now I'm ready to give it another try, without sharing.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say they were going to quit their job....

Truly inspiration point of view if you are doing trying to accomplish things on your own. However in a group setting and environment where you need to share your ideas so everyone is on the same page, your goals need to be expressed in order to make things happen.

I believe teams can fell into the trap of team-identity self satisfaction: "oh, we are so creative together blah blah". I have seen many teams under perform, and I believe this research will apply to teams too.
Yes, complex ideas require team work, but the way out is explained by Derek at the end: just make sure that the idea creates discomfort somehow. Asking for "kick my ass if I don't do my part and I will hit you if you don't do yours" is the way to go.

My partner and I have to finally feel that that you actually designed an great web site and I truly really liked reading through the details you have delivered. I have spent a lot of time looking out on the web and at long last discovered what I was looking for. I just wanted to say terrific post and thank you.

Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my friend were just preparing to do some research on this. We grabbed a book from our area library but I think I learned more from this post. I'm very glad to see such wonderful information being shared freely out there.

Fantastic article. I had never considered this but it's absolutely true (for me).

Love this site, Derek. Thanks for showing me.

I like the helpful info you provide in your articles.

Look , everybody . You dont talk your intentions to everybody. But for me , I believe firmly because it has worked for me talking to some good guy or whoever you feel comfotable to only reafirms your committement to the project . It re inforces it to your mind and gradually solutions to the challenge come about and with time it works . Trust me it worked/s for me.
But also remember wrong guys can and will put an end to your project if they get a sneak peak.
Gd luck. just weigh and balance OK ?

Hmm,
telling people has always helped motivate me. Especially when people get down on me about it. But i think if you really want to be accountable, you should tell someone close who will actually keep you accountable. Not your mom who is going to say "NO". Someone who will help you stay away from you 100th french fry cause you are trying to lose weight.

i followed you guys this is a real sure thing, i had feeling about this because i have been into it , but m not gonna be the same

Brilliant post. It's the 1st of Jan today and I'll be keeping my New Year's Resolutions to myself this time!

I love when research lends credibility to an idea that seems so counter intuitive!

So you should frame your business goals in the same way I presume, as not yet achieved, have to share them with your team though.

Thanks for this article and the links to test research. I see this happening all the time but if you point it out to anyone they don't believe it. Maybe because somehow it feels counter-intuitive. Now I will just point them to your article and hope it helps them. Thanks again.

Seems true to me....
the problem the same I promise too much and less that i can accompalish... so better i should remain silent before that thing is actually accomplished.... thanks

And here was me thinking I was doing right by telling people about my goals because it would make me accountable to them.

I really appreciate finding this post right now. Having just passed through a difficult time and seeing things very clearly now I totally agree with this. I believe there is something to, as Napoleon Hill writes "tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it".

That's very interesting. Also I read that if you tell your plans to others, they may actually demotivate you in many ways.

Totally wid the title itself!
Once uttered is all cluttered.

mmm, I'd never really thought about it so logically but something in me usually likes to keep things a secret until their actually underway. Perhaps it's that fear of failure, if you tell people you're going to do something and then don't, you've already failed.

I like that you don't just argue your point but also bring some statistics to back it up. I do not have my own statistics, but in my life when I tell people my "great" plans they get excited about it and want more explanation, how it works and if they can do it too and I am always happy to explain/teach which also gets me going and motivated on the subject.

I don't know. In any case, thank you for this sharing/lesson.

It gives me inspiration.I think I will also inspired by you and think about more new ideas.
Goedkope Kinderkleding

Hi Derek - I have to admit, this does make a lot of sense! I seriously avoid talking about any future plans with friends now as I do find once I have mentioned something I feel reasonably satisfied, and then put off the work. You are a wise man, fact! :)

Hi Derek, i 've found this idea (not talking about our personal goals) much interesting and i am going to keep doing it for a month. actually many times i felt sorry for announcing my goals to others and i felt less motivated than the time i came up with the original idea. anyway, i will tell you about the results in this page after a month( hope, it will be long enough to see results). thanks again.
Azad

Well, I did not know this was the case. I try to speak less of my goals for some negative person might be listening only to hinder me. I have spoken some of my goals to people.

Thanks for the information.

My goal is to stop announcing my goals.

I think there's a fine line between making a goal 'public' (ie: telling everyone) and telling a select few (ie: accountability partners). A select few of positive friends and family will urge you onwards despite any internal feelings you may be having. As with any evidence - there are always exceptions to the rule. Interesting study though. :)

Best Life changing Lesson Ever Learned....
After reading above article I came to know about the most prominent factor of me being unsuccessfull till now...
I use to tell my all the plans to others whether it was regarding learning something or improving myself... Thanks a ton for the article... from this very moment I'll take care of keeping plans secret before achieving them... :)

I agree with the author 100%. In the African tribe I come from, on wise saying is similar to what the author says but in a more spiritual context. In my tribe, it is believed that if your plans are released any how, people with negative energy such as witches, will spoil the plan or try to prevent your plan from happening. Negative energy can also come from evil eye, which is often a result of jealousy and/or envy. So, if a person has a plan so good that it is enviable, he or she is strongly advised not to share it with people. Well interestingly, the author's scientific explanation and cultural beliefs all come down to the same thing: keep ypur plans to yourself!!

"silence seals the power"

I remember watching this TED talk a while back and it makes sense but it never really sat well with me. My blog is about the goals I want to accomplish every year. I started it when I turned 26 (a couple weeks ago) and had 12 goals put up to be completed by the time I turned 27. I also wrote my "Definite Chief Aim" in Feb 2011 with what I wanted to accomplish. Needless to say I've accomplished three big things off my DCA and I'm well on my way to completing two of the goals off my blog. Albeit I didn't go around spreading this information to everyone. A few key people know of my blog and my fiancee is the only one that's read my DCA, but I believe if you make yourself accountable and focus on getting the goals accomplished as opposed to shouting it out to the world it'll get done. I will say that often times I keep most of my goals to myself, even from friends and family. Some don't understand and usually they'll be quick to point out holes which I don't care for. So I wouldn't count this article as fool proof, I think some people just want the attention while others have true determination to get something done.

Great info here! once I mention a new goal or idea to friend, I usually go on and create what I mentioned. So for me, I gain motivation after running a potential idea by at least one smart and close friend. I rarely tell a ton of people about my ideas until they are finished and ready to present to the world.

Dis is the blullshiit!

Ha, it's so funny how you're told the exact opposite from everyone else. That's why I enjoy this blog, you get to see things from a different perspective. Cheers

Wow very different perspective! I'd always thought the opposite, and made my goals as public as possible.

A couple years ago I posted photos of myself without a shirt on all over the internet, committed to finally gaining 20 pounds (of muscle). 55 pounds later I'm pretty happy with how well it worked!

I see the difference though – I posted a before photo I wasn't proud of with the goal of gaining 20 pounds (dissatisfaction) ... rather than announcing that I'd joined a gym (satisfaction).

I just decided to learn how to cook, and have been telling I've started learning. I should probably switch that around a bit.

Very cool insight.

Wow, I thought it was just me! Ever since I've discovered this, I've started working on my plans without notifying anyone of them more and more. Can be very problematic though; if your work can benefit from comments of future users, or like in my case, if some guy is genuinely interested in what you're doing and he keeps asking about it.

Great article Derek, thanks!

Loved your TED talks. Found this one particularly relevant right now as we're heading into New Year's Resolutions. Just posted a TEDed lesson and started a TED conversation about 'em:
www.ted.com/conversations/15588/what_are_your_new_year_s_resol.html

Would love to know: how do you approach New Year's resolutions? Do you write them down? Make time to review them? Enlist help?

Thanks for the awesome work, especially in the wonderful bite-sized videos!!

I say it depends on who you share it with. I was a member of a goal achievement team as part of a 90-day program with PSI Seminars. Since we were all committed to the mastermind from day 1, the external support was crucial to the success. It provided a critical accountability piece and yes, we did hold each other accountable. There was more than one pilgrimage to someone's front door at 5 in the morning to get them jogging (with a fitness goal) and I am still intimately bonded with everyone from that 24-member team now after 10 years or more. I agree that sharing with people who have done very little work on themselves can do more harm than good. I attribute this partially to the fact that said people don't understand the law of attraction, how to phrase an effective affirmation nor how to maintain a constant positive vision. Most people are eternally slushing around in objectivity which raises too many "maybes."

I agree, unless you're a visionary person, in which case explaining your visions is a cost of dealing in dreams. Any visionary who can't hold onto their willingness to act after explaining won't get very far.

A certain ruthlessness with the step of execution coupled with vision is a match made in heaven for accomplishment-oriented people.

Also, thoughts precede actions, which are necessary to achievements. On the other hand, if you're ENTIRELY focused on the efforts and not the results, then achievement fades in importance; and then this relationship to action can change entirely.

Granted, this is also rare, so isn't likely to be studied. In the Bhagavad Gita, even Krishna acknowledges the rarity of the wise, and even that the wise are confused about the nature of the correct relationship to action that I'm talking about here.

All conclusions, intentions, achievements and accomplishments are in some sense shared.

Still, as a visionary person, I see sharing my vision as clearly distinct from when I am gathering people's enthusiasm for a project I am working on as being IN ANY WAY nearing completion. It's Step One of a complex multi-step process to gain any level of completion.

If I was "just a guy" sitting around trying to motivate myself to overcome my own internal inertia, then I can see the validity of the assertions here. In this context, I do agree that the law of attraction isn't much of a law when such evidence contradicts it so clearly.

The law of attraction is (to me) a vague term to describe the how people come to possess an ability to motivate and inspire others to action in line with a view on something. Even when they do it totally alone.

Being inspired and motivated by something yourself is the first part of this muddled "law" that really is better described by those who have it, rather than people selling vagueness disguised as wisdom.

I'd rather described the law of attraction thusly:
1) Transform: Meet yourself again with regard to a topic, subject or activity and be changed by it in ways that inspire you.
2) Educate: Study this inspiring thing
3) Practice: Live by this inspiring thing
4) Inspire: Attract people who want to know what the fuss is about
5) Explain: Simply. Oversimplification is OK.
6) Contribute: Encourage them to embark on Step 1 driven by your need to contribute that has been discovered in the process of sharing or knowing yourself.
7) Repeat. Or Profit. Or, better, just share; or give it away, knowing about the other "pay-it-forward" "law". This too is a lie, as nothing ever belonged to you to begin with. You can ONLY deal with the effort side of things.

Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of.
I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they just do not know about.

You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole
thing without having side effect , people could take a signal.
Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

Wow, very interesting. You always read here and there that being accountable really help to pursue and achieve goals ....
That's an interesting reading! ...
Although well, I guess that announcing your plan does help. If you don't do what you said you'd do, you'll eventually get comments and feedbacks from people, and those will help you go back on track, right?

Beautiful quiet stuff. Proven over and over in my life to be true. " a little less talk a little more action " so says Elvis

Thanks, Derek. I've found myself in a rut recently, and I came across your TED talk looking for ways to get out of it. Your message makes a lot of sense. Over the last few years I've announced several goals to people and never followed through with any of them. I've also found that revealing goals and dreams puts me in direct contact with "lobster in the pot" folks, aka the ones who try to pull you back into the boiling water with them the minute you've committed to getting out. Henceforward I plan to zip it.
- Yillah

I am like that. I tell everyone about my goals. Now I realise I should shut up!

I have experienced this all my adult life. I tell people what I want accomplish, get satisfaction, and then, so many times, fizzle out. Now, I feel guilty telling them of my planned accomplishments because underneath I know I have almost invalidated my desired goal. From now on, yup, zip the lip - just do it! Thanks for the very helpful insights. Thanks Derek. By the way, Disk Makers will be sending my first cd to CD Baby. A dream come true at age 72!

umm... tests.. psychology number crunching stats... dunno! I find if I announce something.. tell someone.. I am making a commitment to it.. as if it were a mantra itself to verbalise the intention.. :) there's an intrinsic power in words.. vibrational frequency.. resonance.. we are what we speak.. write.. utter!! :)

Thank you! Thank you! I'm am very grateful for your insight/voice on this subject.

you know, its funny, as i was reading i realized that i DO make a habit of telling people what my goals are and what i'm doing to achieve them. and as that has been the case recently, i have actually been taking two steps back in the process. i haven't been doing homework or working out. But now i'm thinking this might be the reason why. so thanks for the new approach. this should be interesting.

I agree. It's weird, but when you tell people what you are going to do, you lose the excitement. Interesting how that is. You are spot on. we should be doers not talkers. Great topic and fantastic Ted talk. Thank you.
Jerry

This is a great article, love it. I can say by experinece telling people your plans will not only drain your energy to actually acomplish them but people will also think they KNOW you, now that you've told them your goals and dreams. Your plans are for you and you shouldnt tell people, otherwise you'll feel like you have to do it now that u've announced it and suddenly it stops being about you and it starts being about accomplishing the goals, so that ur friends or family dont think your a loser., and when your not able to do it, you'll lose to motivation to try again, so u'll mark yourself a permanent loser eventually.

I've actually found that making decisions or big plans, even internally, can be a bad idea when on a holiday. The same "premature sense of completeness" can be felt.

Agree again. Whenever I keep plans/goals to myself I experience more success than if I continuously talk about them to everyone. Weird, but true.

I think you're right, but as much as I try I usually give in. And the good buzz just gets dissipated. Its like in telling them, they seem to take it from you.

Very interesting article and point of view. I'm often used to don't announce my plans to others and I thought this could be a mistake and maybe telling them would be more motivating to achieve goals (maye for the fear of public failure).
But also your point of view is quite convincing.

Hi Derek,
I've never thought about it like that, but looking back at my own goals, it's so true. The greatest goals I have achieved are the ones I only told people about if they were digging deep and asking genuine questions about them. Thanks for the insight!

Thank Derek,
I do whole heartedly agree with your concept.
I wish adults would stop asking children what they want to be when they grow up since these adults have no real intention of helping them get there. Furthermore, this notion of giving yourself more accountability by announcing your goals is a load of nonsense really.

This is a great article Derek. Thank you. I also wonder if those who need to publicly announce their plans are outwardly motivated individuals (wanting approval of others) and those that keep their plans quiet are more self-drive and inwardly motivated. If so, then those that like to talk it up get their fix just by talking about their plans...while the internally motivated only feel satisfied when they have actual done the thing. Very interesting to ponder these things. Thanks again.

I love the way you put that into words

It also prevents people from commenting on, criticizing and giving poor advice - stuff you don't need to hear. This may also explain why I am skeptical of the amibitions of those who announce their intentions.

I am so happy I found this article. I personally agree with it 100% . In my culture we are encouraged to keep our goals private and not share it with everyone else, to avoid bad energy that comes from envy, jealousy etc. I always did it that way and I can say it's true by experience. Now that is proven by studies it makes it even more accurate to my eyes. Today I had an argument with my boyfriend because I was asking him to keep his ideas and plans private till it's actually done. He thought it was really selfish and rude, and we need to inspire people out there by sharing our ideas goals etc. I don't really agree because you can always inspire people by the finished work the achieved goals.

This completely hits the mark for me! In my opinion, one of the most important criteria for starting a new venture is "low risk, high reward". This way, you don't have to hit every time, and any failures aren't major life setbacks. However, if you start blabbing to all of your family and friends about your next "big project", you've immediately upped the risk ante. You've risked your perceived "reputation" with these people, and now put more unneeded pressure on yourself to succeed. Never good. Keep your head down, keep quiet, and get to work!

Amen on your observations about keeping plans secret until after they are completed.

I have started two companies. When starting the first, I told lots of people and asked for their advice - I was so fearful at the time. Almost all gave me negative feedback. Finally I stopped asking and just started the firm. The more I followed my intuition, the more success I had. As the company grew, the more fear I succumb to and the more I returned to asking and following other people's advice. I made too many mistakes near the end and the company failed.

The second firm I started has been successful and I am not telling anyone about it.

Great wisdom in your article Derek.

Thank you,
Eric

I disagree. I mean, I see what you are saying, but it is kind of a weak code for a weak generation. If you never put your word on the line, you have nothing to follow up on. I have much more respect for people who say they are going to do something, and then do it.

This is a great perspective. I actually think it also makes sense not to speak of ideas (as I do often) before execution because if for whatever reason you are unable to act on the plan right away some one else could easily beat you to it :(

In response to Bill in comment #401: I have more respect for people who do things, whether they talk about them at first or not.

Interesting. However I wonder what happens when you share your goals and ideas and people think you are crazy and you should not attempt such things and advise you against doing them. What effect does it have? Or Keeping your mouth shut will be a better approach in this case as well?

My thoughts exactly!! I always try to keep my plans etc. hidden whenever I say that I'm going to do something, I never do it for some strange reason. Thanks for this article it's brought some new rays of light into my life lol. Nice one.

I sub-conciously knew about this, and its true. I see it over and over, and have been guilty of it myself in the past. I knew to actually accomplish a goal is much more than talking about it. However now I find myself achieving goals, with less satisfaction than I did talking about them and not acheieving them, for some reason. Maybe because when I achieve a goal I instantly create a new goal and continue the push towards that one. If you ever find yourself content with what you have, you may not create new goals and end up back where you started. Which is a despressing thought.

Also if a person, habitually speaks of great plans, and never ever follows through, the person will lose credibility, which could affect many more areas of their life. If you want people to respect you, damn well follow through with your intentions ESPECIALLY if you make them public. In fact, maybe to hide your intentions is to show doubt in yourself at the same time.. I wont tell you my plans IN CASE they fall through. The best route is to declare your intentions and then follow through, or at least give it a full fledged effort.. if you can manage it.

New Years Resolutions are like wishes. If you tell people what they are, they won't come true.

Sometimes the goal you are striving for needs major support and help from other people. Expressing your hope about what you want to achieve can reinforce your own resolve as well as bring other people onboard with your goal once they understand your intention.

"Help yourself in fulfilling your needs by being secretive about them." Prophet Mohammed - peace be upon him.

I am going to utilize this knowledge starting NOW! - Oops, maybe I won't. :-)

The shift is starting towards an more introverted mindset, the extroverts days are numbered.

I came here through China 163 open in Ted talk of yours. Oh my god,,,,, I have always been telling my goals and felt like as if i accomplished... Thank you so much you told me Such an important secret effect.
I feel it's quite true espcelly in my case.
I ll tell you when I achieve my goal wether you care or not !

A big salute to u & ur thoughts. Like this article

hi,mr siver, this is spark ,from china .i have seen your ted talks "keep your goals to yourself "which is strikingly inspiring. but i really have one question for you : if we don't tell others our goals ,well ,what about just thinking it achieved ,won't our brains be tricked again and satisfies the brain enough that it “neglects the pursuit of further symbols?” thanks a lot !

I just made a bucketlist of things I want to do before I die and showed it to a bunch of friends. I was immediately reminded of your Ted talk that I watched years ago and went to go find it. I hope I can still find it in me to finish my bucket list! Haha.

http://www.kevinsweet.com/my-bucket-list/

This has been me for the past 40 years. I have told friends/family/co-workers my initial, small goals (wishes?) and then it ends there. I've never figured out why nothing seems to motivate me enough to "complete my circles" or follow through with a started plan.
I am fighting telling my wife about this - so my goal for the next month and a half (until Thanksgiving) is to keep my mouth shut about my goal to keep my mouth shut about goals/plans.
You have my email - feel free to ask me how it's going between now and then. You are the only person I'm telling this to.

I think you're spot on. The many plans i have told people about always find their way unaccomplished or take longer to get done.

Thank you for writing about the finding. For years I suspected this of myself as doing this; like I knowingly sabotage my own path to financial success. Because .. I was afraid of being successful and no one would like me and lose friendships. Now I realize success is good because it a gift to have a talent, and only my true friends
will survive. I feel enlightened. Thank you again.

thanks!

I hardly think 4 test of 63 people is enought to draw any conclusions. I believe the results of speaking your goals or not is based on someone's personality. For example, two of my top 5 Gallup strengths is maximizer and competition. If I vocalize my goal, than the competitiveness of me makes me have to complete it; otherwise, I not only fail in my eyes but someone else's. That is just not an option for me. Speaking my goals is extra motivation for me.

If I don't speak my goals than no one knows I failed except me, so it is more of a reason to not complete my goal. However, my competitive nature wouldn't accept failure in that case either.

good read !
Tq

Thanks, you solved my mystery that I was experiencing since my young age but didn't know the secret. It's so true with me and I always wondered about it. Although I was experiencing it and also observing in other people around me but could not understand that whether its my misconceptions or the fact. Thanks again, now onwards I will utiliz this and guard my plans.

I am sure that it is better to keep your goals private, but for some other reason then to feel satisfied too soon. All is happening on the level of energy. A lot of energy start to leak towards those you are telling. Plus, since you told them, you have to fight towards they energy they are sending back (their silent doubts and prejudices about your ability to accomplish the goal). It is very rare that you'll get a lot of supportive energy from them. If your goal is big enough, it will scare those loves you. Their doubts create strong 'energetic' resistance which sudenly you'll have to owercome additionaly. And that is so exhauting that a lot of people burn out right there, at that stage.

You are very correct.Telling before doing will release the natural pressure which help to fulfill our goal.

its really the way i think..but still cant keep my mouth shut !!

AGREED.

It is amazing Derek till now i had heard opposite. I do agree with you. thanks.

I feel that the act of being a part of a test like this created different results than if no test was given. If no test, how would anyone know if those who did not announce plans were successful or not? The fact that there are results makes completion more important.

Hard to say that without a test, results of two positions might not be opposite.

Thank you for a clearer perspective.

This being something along my ally I never seen it but now with this being said I see why I have (x) amount of biusinesses and all are two years in the making.... From this day forward I will not say anything about my plans or my goals. Thanks for the enlightenment

I disagree with this completely. When I use the law of attraction to feel as if I already accomplished my goal it makes me even MORE motivated. Telling people my goals makes me MORE motivated because It motivates me to live up to what I am saying and not look like a fool. Not announcing my goals will make me feel lack of motivation because if it doesn't happen then at least no one knew i failed. Letting people know means if I do not live up to my goal then they will all see the failure i see.

this is soooo true. The other day I told my roommate how Im doing soo good with not smoking and that I think Im done with it, finally so llong for EVEN THOSE DRUNKEN CIGARS. and guess what? last night I get drunk and smoke ten of them IN A ROW. and the day before, a few.

True article,

I personally realize this fact that the moment you say your goal/s to someone in your friend/s/relative/well wisher you are actually pulling out your feet from the work.

You become calm just by saying that I have done that and the reduction in enthusiasm happens right at the moment.

That decrease in your enthusiasm reduce the speed and attractiveness towards the goal what you had thought to achieve.

I do agreeeee. <3

Yes! i always make the same mistake, i share my thoughts with others and they never come true, also if i plan to ahead, also never come true.

I read this. I was shocked to see that. I want to see the numbers. I'm an ex athlete and was always big on projecting and visualizing your goals.

I don't agree with this. If I have a dream or a goal, the more I visualize it happening the more likely it is to happen. And that includes talking to others as if it is going to happen. I have proved it so many times in the past.

i believe in the power of secrecy, however, only when your project suffers under the eye of premature public scrutiny or critique. I also believe on one's own self-esteem. Some people are intrinsically motivated, others extrinsically. Personally, I feel more motivated when I focus my energy on a goal without feeling any need to announce it to anyone. If the goal is important enough, I will sweep all other distractions away, other than the subgoals and of course my permanent responsibilities (caring for my children, job, etc.). On the inside, however, my motivation stays very strong and i remain patient and steadfast. No one gives me much feedback, because if i do tell them anything about "the plan" they don't take it very seriously, and so I don't worry about their disappointment or judgements. Later, after I've accomplished my goal, they are all amazed by what I had done, and wonder at the time and energy that went into it (which was obvious only AFTER the achievement of the goal was visible and present). Telling too many people creates expectations (imagined or not) that lead to anxiety (for me). Thats is, I prefer to keep my most important goals to myself.

It is just like steam powered machine, talking lets some steam out, and then you dont have enouhg pressure to move the machine :))) but thanks for resolving the law of attraction thing!!!! It was kind of a bug in my brain ;)

What if you already less motivated and that is why you do say it to others, as a sort of alibism? This idea is based on self-observation only.

I actually agree with you , great article!

Well that's the reality... Infact human beings are more concerned n contended to display their success then to really feel and enjoy it. Thats actually the human trait, we are happy at something but we wont really feel it unless we share and exhibit it. Same is the case with our in tensions..we enjoy being popular than being committed

Definitely true! That's why I always lose my motivation after I tell my intention to someone

I think the key here is to avoid the "premature sense of completeness".

I am a strong believer of NLP and "The Secret" and Napoleon Hill where announcing a goal is somewhat part of the program to get you where you want to be. I prefer to announce my goal but focus and having a definite goal is important to avoid premature sense of completeness.

If the goal is to lose 50 pounds... losing 45 pounds is unsatisfactory.

In the Islamic faith, its been narrated that the Prophet peace be upon him had mentioned to not speak about what you will get done, until its accomplished. Many Muslims follow this path. You may check to verify. Thank you for the post. God bless.

I'm totally agree to it. i have screwed up miserably in my studies which I had opted for, with my and my parents mutual choice and had been continuing the same thing just to escape from shame as what my relatives would think about me. But few days ago I kind a opened my self in front of my Dad and he said he would not feel bad if any relative does taunt about my losing but as far as my career is concerned he suggested me to withdraw from what I had been doing and failing so far and opt for what I like, Love and want to do. He said after all its my career don't bother for what other would think or say and he further added to that this time do not tell or announce anybody about your plans are or what you are further going to do.. once it is done all will automatically get to know it.

I have to tell people what I'm hoping to accomplish or it will not happen. Because I need certain things from people to accomplish my Goals and those people need to know what I'm after in order for them to give me what I need. People can't read my mind. Take a relationship. If my goal is to get married. I gotta ask.

So If my goal is to be the president, this article is telling me not to mention this goal to anyone. Interesting idea. Good luck. And the goal of this article is to get people to stop expressing their Goals. It accomplish this goal by spelling it out. LOL

I love y0ur perespective t0 s0me extent but what if i revealing my g0al in fr0nt 0f 0thers will help them t0 decide their future.

Oh My God! I found such resemblance in my life as well. If this really works, then I better start keeping secrets from now on...
Send me any feedbacks

Telling everyone I was going to quit smoking is exactly how I quit and stayed off them for over a decade now. The additional idea of disappointing everyone I told was a big factor in helping me stop - even though most people wouldn't have known if I hadn't.

Thank you for sharing, very usefull.

I believe it weakens your resolve to accomplish personal goals, when you share them with others; especially with the wrong people. Others cannot see our dreams and goals and hopes, because those live only specifically inside of us alone. Negative audiences will discourage you from achieving your goals! Even with good intentions, humans will ruin your personal goals and drams you wish to achieve. The few times I have shared my dreams with people, I have been met with disapproval, ridicule, disagreement, and every type of negative statement imaginable. People rob you of your hopes, and many do not want you to achieve them. It is so much better to develop a rich inner self, a private world of your very own with all your personal goals intact.

Mind. Blown.

Intention is more powerful.Nothing in the world can effect your intention except you. I your subconcious mind know your intention then no matter how many times you talk of it. And I must say repeating again again will make it more strong to get it accomplish..so please your research I am totally dis agree.

Another good reason to guard your senses and keep your mouth shut about upcoming projects or goals is that most people do not want to see you succeed. Even your closest friends and family often times want nothing more than to throw a wrench in your plans. Others will do everything in their power to send a dagger through your chest just to ensure you don't succeed. Keep it on the down low, and brag about it once you've reached the level of accomplishment you're after.

I would say that makes sense...... I do believe that and have noticed it happen in my life. So now I do keep things to myself more .

It is of no coincidence that I happen to come across this topic. This has been one my biggest issues of not accomplishing what needs to be accomplished. We seemed to have the tendency to share to others our ideas to get their acknowledgement. What happens is our ego wants to get the front seat before we begin to start any project/goal. I believe it does something to do with energy. Some of the people we share these ideas could have positive or negative energy. That's why we have a hard time to accomplish these goals. It depends the intentions behind us and the people we shared our ideas with. That's what I've come to learn. "We just need to shut up and do it quietly!" ;)

nope. Negativity or the no nos have motivated some but in the long run it's not fun and you can get where you want to go by being positive

Funny, if I announce and discuss I feel committed and therefore do, or try.

No one contacted me.

I'm glad I read this because at first I was distracted by it.. This does not apply to me..
I'm 47 years old and I deceided 5years ago I wanted to be in front of a fitness magazine in which has transpired into dream of being a fitness model
I have sincerely and diligently worked towards my goal for 4 years and did some research and attempts at modeling and found it to be difficult especially from ar. But praise about it and discovered a big Fitness model search at NaturalFit.Com Fitness Games 2015
I haven't announced specifically yet to Fb friends and friends was about to and I know for s fact... When I announce it I will only train harder in fear of not being my best in which I will be and yes , I fought in boxing competitions for years and having supportive people and fans makes a huge difference
Thank you but I'm glad I read it thru
Cause I need to scream my Dreams!!!
Thank u

Wow some very interesting points. Now I see why I never seem to achieve anything. I will certainly take this into consideration for my future

I'm 37 year old artist, I've always had great ideas but noticed I never finished them.. your articles is 100% accurate, by me sharing my ideas it's like I've accomplished it in a way but not in physical form.. thanks to this I know now what I have to do... thanks, this changes everything

Agreed!, but there is one question about it, some people need some advices for putting or planning a projects/goals to know more and to do the right thing to make a right decisions.

is this still necessary to follow all the time? I don't think so!.
as long as you know your limitations to spread your goals you'll be on the right track.

-Just Sayin..
No, this is just for “identity goals”. For things that need the help or feedback from others, yes you should definitely engage everyone possible. — Derek

Wonderful observation and empirical analysis. I agree with your studies.

Yess.. I agree with this and I feel it in my life

True! Personally I can testify to that.
Every time I share with close friends about my next move, I end up failing to accomplish the expected goal.

I had not known why! Now I know.

what if i have already mentioned out my dreams ?
will i achieve them if i maintain them in private frim now ?

I don't know about this...I think it depends on the person. I've never communicated my goals to people, and guess what? I never accomplished any of them. I recently started stating my goals out loud to anyone that would listen, and I'm making clear steps towards them and getting closer and closer to achieving them. Still not there yet, but have made more progress in the last 6 months than I have my entire life.

...For the most part; I have been of the belief that announcing your plans somehow brings them to life and also adds the social pressure to perform /// However, over the past three years I have been much more discrete and see the truth in what you say / Added benefit, no "Public failures"...

I've always loved surprising people, working behind the scenes, it's more rewarding. So telling people really spoils the surprise and spoils the fun in doing it.

I'm not sure. The commitment and consistency principle seems too easily written off. Cialdini mentions the importance of our nearly obsessive desire to be (and to appear) consistent with what we have already done. Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.

Take the bettors in the racetrack experiment. Thirty seconds before putting down their money, they had been tentative and uncertain; thirty seconds after the deed, they were significantly more optimistic and self-assured.

There is also the sunken cost idea that the more you've invested into an idea or belief the more you need it to be true.

Thank you for revealing this 'achievement placebo' - it is clear how this works to take the wind out of my goal direction 'sails'. This year I decided I have to do one thing to make my next 10 years in my career be successful and I also need to quit saying I am going to do this thing unless I enlist my listener to 'kick my butt' if I don't! That is true accountability!

yes - I suggest following this great advice because if you keep your aspirations to yourself no one can talk you out of it or around it. Interference from well meaning others can sometimes complicate or diminish efforts toward a goal. Personal experience talking here.

Wonder if its stroking the ego just enough to get the feeling but not the action or energy needed.to get there without the false ego.

I am confused.
In my pursuit of manifesting my dreams, I have read many articles, books and research in regards to the law of attraction. I was never the type to tell others my plans.
I began speaking them out loud, in private, and later started telling others about my intentions, believing that talking about them as if they were a reality, would bring them about.
Now you say I should keep them secret....any further clarity about this would be appreciated.

Thank you, you are right. And that's what has been wrong with me . This article of yours was universe's message to me.
But by the way, did you also have something to say about how you could neutralize the affect after you announce your plan lot enough and to rectify the negative affect on your brain ?

Thank you,

Hi,
I have been facing this difficulty lately a lot.
My friends have been getting agitated and angry because I keep my plans private, to the point of shunning me.
They want to know everything, but once I tell people my plans, I lose motivation.
They dont seem to understand that. Also, once I tell them, they either want to be a part of it( which I think should be my choice by knowing what they can bring to the table , or if i want to work with them) , and since I have a ton of ideas, they use me as their idea resource, and dont involve me while using my ideas in their projects.
I dont know what to do. Its leading to depression and loneliness but I dont want to not do things just because its upsetting other people. Please help.
Thank you :)

Is this 'mastermind' at work? Where you can work in a team all focussed and intent on the same goal and then can accomplish it, where if you tell your parents or teacher and fellow pupils your career goals they see you in a different way, a sceptical or dirisive way?

I share my goals/projects with; anyone/everyone, all the time, anywhere. I call that setting my intention... 'what you talk about, you bring about'. How else are you going to get a supportive group of people buying into your vision? But the rest of the article was interesting.

Talking about your project seems to spread your energy in every direction other than towards completion.

My goal is to eventually die.

Not necessarily so. This is an oversimplification of something more complicated. The amount of people used in both studies is too small to prove anything - it's nothing more than a couple preliminary studies. That's not great evidence.

I have found this to be infallibly true.

If your family is not supportive of you, keep absolute silence.

Likewise, keep those positive goals between you and God and not your friends unless the latter can be completely trusted.

didnt many successful people announce their plans then achieve them

I have always found this to be true. As soon as I announce a plan, within 2 weeks it falls apart, for completely unforeseen reasons, and I look like an idiot. If I stay quiet, more often than not, I'm able to profess success afterward.

I was 160 pages into writing my novel. I then told a few friends about it. Have written 25 words since. :(

very motivating me

I disagree. I don't think you become less motivated once you have revealed your plans. In fact, it's like when you write your plans down...you become more motivated because you don't want to appear like a failure to others who know what you're trying to achieved.

The problem people have once they have shared their goals is dealing with major passive-aggressive behavior, which is particularly prevalent in the workplace. You're not less motivated, but you are suddenly much more vulnerable to people who would like nothing better than to prevent you from succeeding and getting ahead. Another outcome could simply be someone stealing (and running with) your idea, and beating you to your own goal, and in a workplace environment there is usually only room for one person to attain a goal.

Rule of thumb: succeed first, reveal your intentions after success has been attained.

I think the fact that I told no one that I was planning to apply to and win acceptance into the School of Veterinary Medicine at Davis when I went back to college at the age of 38 is why I managed to succeed I accomplishing my dream. I had figured out a long time ago that the more one talked about their plans, the less likely one was actually able to accomplish them. Didn't know why, but this explains it.

Good information

I so agree! I have always thought that if you tell people your goals they will try to sabotage you by being negative and telling you "you can't". They often feel like failures because they don't have goals like that or they secretly lack the will-power to achieve goals. They will bombard you with negativity. Keep it private and then tell them, or show them, what you have done.

The studies cited in this article are extremely small in sample size and likely not generalizable. Of course, the findings are dependent upon the circumstances. If an individual's goal is to get promoted at work and yet the individual has not communicated such, the likelihood of promotion occurring is extremely small. I won't wager a number that isn't empirical but suffice it to say that I learned this firsthand. There's also much to be said for self efficacy. When a person is serious about a goal and engages the support of his/her closest allies, the likelihood of success if greatly enhanced. Dr. S Covey (FranklinCovey) produced a number of empirical studies that indicated this to be the case.

hey I used to have some group sessions of coaching (on mlm), and they told that once you established a goal you need to tell the world about it (or to somene important) that you gonna make it at a specific date. Because you will put pressure on yourselt to dont dissapoint, or fail about something you told about yourself.

an eyeopener, thanks for sharing!

I have learnt the hard way not to tell anyone of my goals. The questions people ask undermines confidence. Questions like: What are you going to do with this qualification once you are finished etc.

From experience also I have learned that some people don't like it when you are doing something that they have not even thought of. They are afraid that you come out of the learning experience knowing more than they. Human nature, I guess!

I live my life this way. I AGREE!!! Why talk the talk that you cant walk. Its so childish to me. I dont need praising for something i want to do. I like to make noise in silence and let people see after.
LOVE... LOVE this artical !!

This makes sense to me. I always get a feeling in my chest that causes me to have to inhale like I can't breathe for a moment...every single time I announce a goal.
Time to shut up or put up!

Damn, I announced that I am going to build a website to a friend today. I hope I'm not doomed.

This is exactly what has happened to me! And, now, how can I mend it?
How can Istruggle for my dream without thinking it will not come true?

I have tought myself after many hard lessons of being so hurt by so many....... I asked what is my roll in all this what's my part of the repeat offenses? Ah ha. You give all of you with out a single boundary. No means no
Slowly the offenders have slipped away
I see it as I was sick of being raped of me myself and I
When I fell not even a hand to help up
So now when folks ask why didn't you say anything about it? My reply is why should I have what honestly would you have done?
I also know that now I dnt express my goals because ive noticed distractions from every single direction will pop up and postpone my journey to a better self
A better me who can do what I love and that's teach and help others become all that make them wonderful. With boundaries
🙏🏽

I feel I'm too lazy to use the energy for the goal so I give it away. Big noting myself and letting myself off the hook and hope the other person can use it. Learning till I die.

Very strange, I always knew this to be true, and without having a degree in psychology I even knew the reason behind it too! very interesting.
Totally agree with the article and I think I should listen to my inner voice with more trust and confidence in the future.

Thanks for the learning just love it!

So, I should direct my hr department to this link after i tell them not to send out any more of those career development forms? Got it.

You nailed it on the head! I've noticed that my goals were never really accomplished when I told everyone about them. I think one of the reasons is because if it is a gaol that requires time, people keep asking you if you've done it yet, and why is it taking so long to get it done.

y grandparents grandparents, till my kids today practice this behaviour .... From a magic ritual become a family secret :)

I have told people my goals, dreams and ambitions my entire life and it always seems to backfire, and now I know why and see why... This is the best advice I ever heard.

its my weak point to show my cards at very premature stage. its very use full artical.its a execellent lesson for me. thanks

Well, I hate to disagree, but in my line of work, announcing upcoming projects is pretty damn good. I'm an american music producer and I always announce when a project is about to drop which makes me hunger for more... But hey, I'm quite different from everyone else..
This effect is only for identity goals. Goals that are helped by the involvement of others should definitely be announced! — Derek

The Bible says to put things down in writing so that you will be commited to seeing your plans through. I cannot deny that there's an unhelpful sense of accomplishment when I speak my goals or plans because 'hey sometimes we come up with awesome ideas and only want the credit'. But not saying anything about a plan, say to a spouse, opens doors to misunderstandings. Once things get out in the open and they actually help you get the goal done...well it was a waste of time not to say anything then wasn't it? And yet I cannot deny the power of keeping the goal to yourself actually motivates you to keep it; almost as if it's for your own personal satisfaction, not of other people's, even if affects them. I'm sure there are a few more factors to consider.

I've been saying this for years. When you're serious about something you don't announce it. It's interesting to find there's a study to support.

I believe this is half true. There have been times in my life where this is absolutely true, and until this article I never knew why. But there were alternative goal related journeys in my life that were enhanced by letting others know. I suppose it all depends on the actual goal, and whether it's the need to satisfy your ego, or enhance your life... Then there are those goals that become impossible to hide, like how would one hide having a goal that actually requires many to be involved for completion. Nice article, thanks for sharing :)

I love this, and have seen your TED talk on it too. This is a principle Napoleon Hill mentions too in his study of success Think and Grow Rich, published in the early 1900s. What I especially liked about this piece Derek, is the sub goals part. I have experienced this but didn't realise it was a "thing". Completing my budget and doing a potential income forecast can take away my sense of urgency about doing what needs to ne done to actually make the money, almost as though putting it in the forecast is the equivalent of having it in my bank! Fail!

so true ....thzs for advice!!!!!

I'll just shut up.

Is there any bad effect too,for telling the plans to parents?

I agree! On all!! I like to share once I've done it!!! It's easier & more satisfying to say "I signed BACK up for college today" instead of " I'm thinking about going back to college"......... If you haven't done it yet.....you got to deal with everyone else's thoughts/opinion on the topic, which has also stopped me from doing many things in my life that otherwise would have been my true choice without any outside influence! There's so many naysayers in this life I live in America, I want to achieve it from this point forward and Let'em find/figure it out when they do...... Who cares---go after your life, make your life what you want, it's your responsibility, so why tell anyone about your life dreams/goals.....just make it reality!!!

Is it true that telling your goals to the world builds peer pressure which eventually leads you to fulfilling your goal? I am confused.

i love this

I enjoyed your article . I recognize this fact within myself throughout my adult life . I am a very creative person and have many passions in designing. I have several project ideas that had come to my being and I spoke about them to my family and friends . I loved the ideas I believed in the ideas they were going to contribute to society but the thing was I never got to do them .... now I know why . I struggled throughout my life with these ideas that I feel I must do but just can't seem to get them accomplished now I understand why ... so I believe in your theory I an say I experience it .

Really true I experience it...this is what m'y parents was saying to me all along..

I learned this the hard way... ..my grand mom is uneducated but a wise woman she used to tell me the same but with a different clarification........I love this article , its so true

I already have. Now what? Oh, I know - 'just do it' - and I will. But not being able to share makes me feel incredibly isolated. Do they talk about that? : ]

I disagree. Some of our inspirations and goals will never happen if not talked about. Do we actually believe that some of our most profound inventions and technologies were never discussed??

I told people about my plan and it seems twice as hard to achieve it now. It has not had a great impact on me. I only realized this later after telling people. I feel very bad about it. Please help with a solution on how I can correct this? I want to execute my plan well and succeed in life. Please help. Thank you.

You are 100% sure Derek. I have experienced a lot on this, but still not realised this fact, but now i have entered in my mind i have to adhere to this fact throught my life. Most of my ambitions have failed when i expressed to others seeking that i would get some ideas or encourages but received none other than negative reply. Thank you so much.

So true! Everytime I tell someone I'm on a diet it doesn't work. And I find it really annoying when someone keeps telling me their children's goals and how amazing they are. Just shut up will you?

Makes perfect sense. I ussually like to avoid telling anyone about my plans. I just shut up about it, as much as I can, becuase the more I tell them, the less I do it. I rather just ask them what thy think I'll be doing, and not to ask again. Good idea though; as a condition if them knowing, have them agree before hand to become active in helping you out in those goals. It either gets you help, or them to shut up next time( either because of wanting to free themselves from dealing with your terms, or because of shame in not keeping their word).

I am showing this video to my health class students and then asking them 1 knowledge question, 1 comprehension question, and 1 application question. If you would like those I would be happy to share them with you...

I watch the video on youtube and I believe with vehemence in this, about the need of social recognition I don't knew of conscious way ... thank you for open my eyes.

I disagree. I believe you should act is if you already have it. With practice,patience and direction anything is possible. "impossible" is a Big Word thrown around by small men.

Hi Derek!
I just wanted to give you a special thanks for this article. I have been struggling with this subject for a while and did not really know whether or not tell my family, friends and random people about my goals. You just delivered the answer. Thanks, man.

I got one more question though:
Do you have any suggestions on how I can divert from the "goals-in-life topic" in a conversation without having to justify myself, in order to not make the other person feel "unworthy" of knowing my goals?

Many thanks in advance!

It's very difficult for me not to say what is going on my mind ......even if I don't have anyone around , I speak loudly to myself ! ......but I have been able to accomplish all my goals and my desires ! .....if people are not jealous , I think it may even help to achieve my goals , because colective positive thinking , sends positive vibrations to everything in this world ! ...... When someone tells me about something she or he desires , I immediately think : -- " I wish that will happen ! " -----

Interesting academic survey. In practice, I have found it impractical to achieve lofty or complex goals without continually putting the goal out into the world (literally daily) to garner resources in the form of expertise, referrals, collaboration, VIK, barter, moral support, accountability (touched on at end of article), etc. In practice, we achieve things utilizing human resources outside of ourselves, contrary to what branding of successful individuals might portray.

Announcing goals: closely related, I think, to announcing good intentions (gifts, donations, assistance). Needs no follow through for the announcer to see himself/herself as generous; and many uninvolved bystanders (the people not directly involved in receiving/not receiving benefits of the offer) seem to remember the offer, not the failure of completion.
"Good, generous" blowhard guy where I live makes lots of generous offers to homeowners association (with NO actual action/giving) and the Board are viewed as incompetent and ungrateful BECAUSE they don't appreciate "everything he's offered to do".

I find it weird since 50% of the things I say that I will do, or achieve, I usually accomplish it, I guess im living in a different realm.

If I anounce my goal how it's hardly to fulfill we can prove

what if you don't announce them too much but only to people you know can help you at the next step? such as people who are already working in that field? Networking?

What if you announce it to a small circle but it's not announced on Instagram or Facebook? And you're putting in at least 3 hours a day into it!

I 100% agree

dearDerek,

I have noticed this with myself but i just cant overcome it... someway or the other i announce what i am planning on and this really just doesnt happen.. now a days m trying a bit harder if you have some advice please do give...

Does it also have a negative effect even when you're motivating yourself and like talking to yourself and setting plans in your mind? Because I do this all the time and I just want to make sure if it has a negative effect or not because someone sent me this article and it made me some kinda nervous.
No. Not at all. — Derek

Will try

Great article!!!

I have made an experiment on my self for long time and it totally work, but it does not mean it will totally work in this nonlinear world. but I c it, I have experiential knowledge of what I am talking.

What if I've already told a few people my intentions? Can I reverse this now by knowing I could be tricking myself and using this as motivation to take more action in acheiving these goals?
Yes ☺ — Derek

Yes, it's true 100%. That's why spiritual aspirants never reveal their minds..... Hence they r treated as mystics. Spiritual goals are attained only when they r kept secret.....otherwise it will perpetuate the ego which thwarts the spiritual progress.
This is a new fact to the world today, but a known fact of evry spiritual aspirant around the world. Good to see this fact coming out today.....

Very poignant. Thank you for point this out to me. I appreciate the encouragement!

This makes sense! Thanks!!!

Absolutely Agreed but Speak and share it out only when you have a desease !

in 2005 I let myself being coached / analyzed. What to do, how to let my talent work for me ?
In short, drop everything i was doing , no more plans, no more chasing after ideas/ projetcts etc.
I was to become professionall comedian!
So, i asked after the 1 session, i am free of work, free of anything ? Yes they said no more freelance stuff etc. I said, oke it is a good day to play golf and to enjoy myself.
That same day a man aproached me and said; Hans are you involveld in theater, we have a 25 anniversary and are you able to come up with something funny ?!
My first paid teather job.
No plan, no goal of how to, the only thing i did, looking back, was making the commitment and full trust in the vision i was told, wich resonates with my hart at that time :)
Thank you, and be well :)

The incredible power of being humble!

I Think, It's True... i announced my plan's and still now couldn't make it true.

so right now, i am following secrecy... 100 % secrecy... i will announce it when the result will on my hand.

Do you know that we have an order in Islam religion that request us not to tell any body about our except in case that we said after that that will not happens unless the god accept

This the message in holly Qur'an

In Arabic
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
ولا تقولن لشاىء انى فاعل ذلك غدا إلا أن يشاء الله وأذكر ربك إذا نسيت وقول عسى أن يهديني ربى لأقرب من هذا رشدا

Really surprised! I will shut my mouth now about all the stuff in my head regarding my goals. I have always kind of done this as if I announced my personal goals, I'd feel set up, in a sense, and anxious about letting myself down. Thanks for this talk.

so true !!for me I have confirmed it over and over .my tip came from the bible verse,so i tried it and was thoughroly impressed.

so true i agree!

Always knew it!! but wasn't able to explain it. Thank you :)

I highly disagree. I work for a multimillion dollar marketing company that pushes us to tell our goals to everyone. The more you say something and act on it by doing everything possible to reach it, the more likely you are to get it. This has worked for me personally. The more I think and verbalize what I want to happen, the more it happens

That's true because Prophet Mohamad told us to do that more than 1400 years ago .... is part of a Hadeeth (Prophit's saying): Literally, it means: Seek help to accomplish your demands (needs, requirements) through confidentiality. The meaning is that you can achieve your demands if you kept them confidential.

استعينوا على قضاء حوائجكم بالكتمان

Rings true I told everyone my main intention for this year and I achieved very little of what I had been working towards. Mouth shut for this year

Very True !!!

i can dig it. to the point.
I've observed this in myself and others. i believe it to be a trurh

A study with 63 people?
This theory is so untrue I could not stand it.
"Whatever the mind of a man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
Sharing your intentions to the right people and making them believe this is happening is the key to master the law of attraction. Yes, it is hard to achieve but can be done. All you need is to separate the big goal in small goals, keep discipline in following the small goals and keep people informed on the progress.
This way you will have more minds channeling your visions into reality.
Proven fact. Not a theory. Just the way I want it to be so I make it to be.

That makes sense, as I remember acting just like this for various health and other goals and those intentions mysteriously evaporated over time.

But then I know people in 12-step programs who have a sponsor, where goals are stated and actions are committed, where the member has to report to his or her sponsor the progress of the goals. I wonder how much having a sponsor or coach mitigates that alleged accomplished feeling when stating a goal that requires accountability.

Also, I have stated goals to my boss to complete several actions before my next performance review. You bet there is incentive to finish those actions, since there is accountability and reward for accomplished goals.

I believe this is true.

I agree with you! Thank's for the nice article. This is really help me.

I must agree with it despite my private affirmation of law of attraction in action.

I live by this everyday, so so true

I agree! On another note when or if you share your intentions you might encounter people that will inflict doubt & fear therefore you will not try harder because of fear of failure. I might also add that law of attraction says you should state your intentions bUT to yourself not everyone else.

Announcing your plans brings you negative energies from those who don't wish you well, you start with a good intention but you never know from who exactly the negative energy came from. the law of attraction once again proves it's right. So better to remain silent at all times.
In Islam we have been taught by prophet Mohammad to never talk about our wishes and future plans for our lives in order to help them come true.

if we dont share our desire or target then .....may people think that he is a unactive about his future....?

This is so true! Its how I quit smoking 4 years ago. I didn't tell anyone until I was over the cravings about a week in.

I was interested in your post I think that saying it to yourself is more powerful... 'commitment'
By this I mean that if you announced your goal to the public before you actually commit yourself then you give your power away...
starting a list to accomplish your goal is the first step... This is the beginning step of organizing your goal and true commitment rest within yourself...
therefore telling anyone before you have something to show for it is an empty promise...
putting them into action before telling anyone is the 2nd step.
I really appreciate this article these are the kinds of articles that do good for people ...give them food for thought
thank you, sincerely, Lucille

Also, giving your power away by telling others is so subtle... I mean if you're really serious about something the commitment has to come from within...
you place responsibility on your audience to be committed to YOUR goal!
My motivation should be..."To thine own self, be true." Keep your eyes on the prize!

That's very true and that is my personal experience that once you open your project or goals then it will never even start.

So good information thank you

I just found this old article of yours and was instantly wondering how you would combine the message here with the "Now" movement? As far as I understood it, it would mean that having a now page would increase the chance of me finishing stuff on that page later / not at all? Or would you differentiate somehow? Looking forward to your answer ...

As for me, i'm not used to talking about my plans immediately to everybody, i always want to keep it first as a secret but then i will work in silence. And when i know that it is accomplished and sure about it, then i will gladly tell this to everyone. This way helps me to focus on my goals and plans without influence and pressure of other people. Anyway in the end, when it turned out not the way it eanted to be, you don't owe alot of people an explanation. And its your own life, at the end of the day you alone will solve your own problems not other people. 😉

100% agree.
I did experiment on it and found true.

Yes it's true. But if one have the dedication towards his /her goal then nothing is gonna stop them.... So it's not always sharing makes people not to achieve their goal ...

Very true.

i think you shouldn't tell people your plans because some are your enemies even without knowing

Well I think it's the opposite when you announce your goals to people and then if at any point you feel like giving up it motivates to continue as fear of losing in front of public keeps pushing you forward.

Why would an enemy announce their failure to achieve a stated goal? A male, "...we're not going to be able to get her to react!...", emphasing that point by being louder. They don't hide their dissapointment when I do better. I have posted a note to me from them, on facebook. Even after making the point to me that they don't know who I called out to, (no point crying for help; "we are the neighbours" has often been said), they still sound dismayed they don't think they'll be able to get me to react. I don't understand them; I have deduced "The point of a comment is not the content; the point of a comment is to harass"; I surmise they try to create a nonsensical battle. I get locked in the psych ward... on fb. Please don't get me locked up.

It was absolutely right

True.Myself have experienced that it is like opening the pandora box and you won't succeed!

Thank you for your valuable information

I plan to comment later on my plans!!!

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INFORMATION

Thanx for your opinion💝💝💝.this thing is necessary for my life...

sometime its works to improve our confident
& motivated us....
thanks....
if u have more advise pls u can mail me....
thanks

I tell my all intense to my frnds how i back from that one
Vry nice msg...

Its complete opposite in reality and also by science as what you feed your mind you become

Perhaps in 1933...but know a days if have no vision no dream u have nothing and talking about it means your mind is brainstorming the idea opposed to just having a thought...people talk about it for feedback purposes and ideas that may arise from listening to others points of view..

I think what your saying is true...everytime I tell people what am planning it never happens and I always ask myself why...but at least now I know and I think I will try keeping plans and goals to myself

That has really taught me a lot.I thought sharing your plans give you that drive to achieve your goals.silence is the best medicine..let your actions speak but dont go telling everone your goals.there can also be discouragers to make you feel like you have unreachable goals yet nothing cant be achieved

No one is incharge of your happeniss, except you!

Simply means that never commit to others, just to commit your goals to yourself's soul.

I have told people about my goals and I am suffering from low motivation even when I still want to achieve my goals. What do I do to get back on track?

it is really great to know about such things because now I can realize the way that I was used to think and learn the correct way of thinking

The article expresses my thought in this particular field very well.

Does this also apply to discussing dreams and aspirations? Such as, telling others career-based goals or on what you want your profession to be?
No. You should tell most people most things. You’ll know when your motivation is lessening because you’ve been announcing. — Derek

Hey, Derek! Awesome to know that you're still active on this page. My question is: Once you've already told away the goal (and not in the proposed non-indulging way), what can you do to minimize the potential loss of likelihood of achieving the goal?

Thanks,
Pedro
Use another “tool” to make sure you follow-through and do it! Sorry but it’s as simple as that. — Derek

Exactly.This is also my first hand experience.

I wish that I could agree with this, but I really couldn't. When I announce my goal to others, I already know that I HAVE TO make it happen! Or else why I told them on the first place? I do suffered from anxiety and pressure to obtain my goals because I already told somebody. I feEl like a liar when I didn't even bother to try it. I realize that when I didn't tell anybody, it becomes very private thing, which also mean nobody knows about it so nobody going to ask me whether I did it or not.Announcing my goals give me a sense of reality. Yes, I already said it, I'm going to do it.

its indeed very true!
i am a student and have completed second last semester of dream course.
after clearing this i was pretty sure that I'm gonna clear the final one easily and started motivating others. i told them everything about me and my method of eduction. now I'm having very much problem to clear the finals.
i always believed in what you told in this article but never knew the scientific reason for it.
and now i knew it.

thank you

Thanks for your suggestions regarding our future goals.

Agreed with this article yet you discussed your goal only to someone,who is guide to further improvement. might be it is,ok.

Omg so true.... I was very motivated and was doing my work but that didn't last since I told my friend about working so hard and stuff like that and it has been two days since I worked and felt guilty actually for sharing everything. so people please be stuck with your plan to yourself and achieve it ☺

This is just exactly how it is,i am being enlightened by this.thanks to the impactors of this great lesson,knowledge and brain opening,i love it;it motivates.kudos.

My appreciation

I liked it!!!!!!!!!!

It's good example to keep your plannn!!!!

Good article

Why anything that feels good is bad |-_-|

Its true, personally i have tried it. Everything i keep to my self happens than those i tell to my pals. Actually now people call me secretive but the benefits outweighs all.

Thank you so much,I have got an answer to my questions, now I know what to do. I will zip my mouth and persue my goal.

It's right actually! I realized it so many time.

Thanks alot giving some assignment to research on.

I love Derek Sivers talk...I listened to one on BA flights
regarding how to run business. I wish I could get that Audio when he mentioned his CDs shop ( business).

This says to my ALLAH before 1400 year ago my ALLAH never say lie

Ya, when we express our goal then the value of matter what I have thought become less important in front of others.

It is quit right...I mean it..I believe it..

No good this is the best article
I love this
Good news
Great work
Everyone should hear this
Retweet

thank u so much for this wonderful articles.
if possible could u plse sent love tips for us teenagers,i know its gross but we really need it,also about personality development,how to b a man of integrity n other life hacks.
thank u so much brightdide.
until now no bad comments.

"But a research says that whatever u say u will get only those thinks so always be positive " if u r right then what about this research....??

It's true.

Give many more advices like these...

I have experience and it is true what you wrote in article when I share my goal with friend or other it demotivate and feel like as energy sucker.

I think there are so many people that my friends,relatives and my parents know my aim...
Then what will happen??Can I get my goal??😵😐

Mann... so I been seeking this exact discussion all over google.... so I have been busy with possible future goals I may achieve, and I choose not to talk about them until I complete them. but I live in America and my family lives in Kosovo, far distance. they keep asking why I may not show up for vacation, im not gona lie I feel petty to lie and make up something , so I end up talling my favorite cousin my plans on my up coming work that has me busy. I haven't achieved it yet , but I still tell him. not to seek gratification for what I am doing, but because its so hard to lie why I am not coming to visit. so I tell 1 my secret of potential successful plans. something in me does not want to but I break after the 20th person has asked me why I cant make it. and its because I have plans to accomplish a huge business transaction than can benefit ME..i have a hard time at lying so when it comes to that certain cousin I fold and tell him my plan before Its even been accomplished... I feel wrong for this.. I shoulda kept my mouth shut man insteada speaking about it as if I already accomplished it or its going to happen.... this is eating away at me :[

I looked up "why is it when you talk about something it is less likely to happen". Very satisfied with this answer thanks 100% agree

Yea, I also feel the same, if we share our goal .actually we reducing our enthusiasm towards goal,as well lots of vibration starts surrounding our goal...the vibration are negative or positive we can't differ....so better let's success make noise.....

This is true. Been working on a personal goal and told a friend a brief description of it and have not picked it up for 3 days .

I am forcing myself to get back into my project today because I know the way working on it made me feel and I know that I believed in myself 3 days ago.

I agree to this. As a music major I hear people say their goals with music and it never follows through.

This was who I was. Now Ive decided to keep things to myself rather tell anyone

Tomorrow's just an excuse away

Nice

Exceptional article!

I am not sure. Nobody will help you if you do not tell..

Big Smile..........

Hi Derek,

Any idea how this affects coaching? Coaching relies on you telling your coach your goals. Is it just the the benefits of coaching outweigh the cost of telling someone your goal?

Gavin
I think coaching fits the last example (“kick my ass if I don’t”) — Derek

This is profound. Something I have always thought, but never knew the research behind it. Great post!

I don't agree. Everyone is different and so are life's circumstances. As far as the accountability part? Who cares? If you ended up doing it or didn't do it so what? It seems like there's more focus on worrying about what the other person may think about you if you did not achieve the goal. At the end of the day, it's your life no one else's.

Golden.

This has been the case for me for many years. I learned NOT to say I need to lose weight, take dance class, go to the gym, etc. Im beginning to feel that when I tell people I need to get a job, that its slowing me down. On the other hand, it still feels good to tell certain people...but not family relatives! There's something about family to where they expect perfection or expect you to fail so I unconsciously want to make them happy by failing! I cannot tell my older sister anything, for it contaminates the situation!

Tell me more about not telling people about my goal. Because I have realized that when ever I tell my friends about my plan,it doesn't work

Should i be scared right now? because, i really am..

I am enthusiastically interested to know what is the solution if someone already spoke about his/her goals to others. As a matter of fact, when we talked about them, our mind imagine we reached the goals, therefore, we automatically will give up to continue. After all, please let me know what should we do if we talked about them in the past with others. Thanks in advance your reply.

I’ve become a Derek Sivers junkie! I am part of a new start up that is growing but I need more Derek!!!The two of us are working in healthcare, found a niche that combines consulting with a sales component. We are conscious capitalists and I fully aligned with your philosophy. When is a time I can reach you !? Amy

For Sabit at 662:
who "has to" announce false plans and then feels guilty. His goal is to have an excuse for not visiting overseas.

Wow! You have a golden opportunity, Sabit. You could, possibly, start having a "time delay" and keep announcing what you have recently done, as a way of accomplishing your goal of having a guilt-free excuse. Because what you have recently done is (almost) like proof of what you are doing now, and will do, proof that you are doing things.

You have a golden opportunity to do things NOW, without lying about the future. Good for you.

For other Derek fans:
I find it useful to have a double standard: My life is mine, and therefore anything I reveal about me I don't have to do, although I find it truly helps to stay silent; BUT my word for others is golden, and so anything I say I will do about others or my community I have to do. For me, this keeps me active, honest and full of self respect.

For Derek:
I came here from your latest (July 2018) Now Page. I don't have a Now Page, partly because my hobbies stay the same from year to year... Except, come to think of it, I, just this month, won my life-long battle against my dread companion of house clutter. Now what? (This is a golden opportunity) I don't know. And when I do know, I won't reveal things too quickly, I won't tell what "I'm gonna do."

Is so true,thats y my plans have not been working,just need a good friend that can encourage me

Hi Derek

Just finished your book (40 lessons ...), got to the end and thought I’d get in touch.

Thank you for the great points and thought provoking ideas, somewhere during the messages my mind starts to wonder about how I can use that specific point In my life and business, like a flow state that’s the idea right? (Even though it means rewinding to get back to the points I missed):)

Read your webpage and noticed you train, great achievement on the weight loss already, I run a online personal training business and help many people all over the world, I’d like to offer my services (I know trainiing is not your priority), it’s what I love to do and it would be a way of saying thank you for what I’ve learnt.

FYI I’m not looking to promote you on my site or ask you for referrals, just want to be a nice guy and give back:)

Have a great day!

I agree 100%! When I tell people about my plans, they usually don't pan out. When I keep things to myself, they almost always happen.

*looks at the last twenty years*
Well this explains a lot. Le sigh.
Extroversion Fail. *dusts self off*
Let's try this again.

This time, with more walk and less talk.

Thank you so much for this. I have been sharing my goals with my mother and my friends and I have been feeling a lot lazy lately. So may be they are linked. Thanks for pointing it out for me. Much appreciated! :)

I used to apply this unknowingly in my childhood and got great results because of this. There was a lot respect as well that people used to give me as I was a silent achiever. Somehow with the passing time I became talkative. And this is troubling me a lot. After coming across this TED-talk, I began to tell people a different goal. Instead of getting energy to achieve my goal, I started to work upon the goal which I told people. This is more dangerous than working towards the real goal as my mind did a mistake of believing in talking (backup goal) than doing (real goal). I want to know about how to interact with close people with whom there is still a fear of losing the energy to achieve your goal after telling them. You told that one should tell people something which does not give satisfaction. Please elaborate on this as it is still a bit unclear.

Well I'm glad it's on the internet now, cuz I suspected as much. Like when *they* say you should commit publicly to a goal so that - I dunno - fear of public humiliation will take over and blackmail you into accomplishing it, I tried it. A few times. But honestly I kinda felt like I cared less after I announced it on Facebook. This would account for why.

yah, i agree with this

Nah, let me try this in my goals.
Will be back later after achieving that.

I love this!!!

Another perspective from a related line of thinking.

In my 42 years as a teacher, a common (twice-annually) question from my many school principals was, "so, Iain, what are your weaknesses?"

As a very young teacher in the mid 1970s, I would say, "Thanks for the question Graeme/Mike/Jennifer/Helen/John, when I develop something that I perceive to be a weakness in my teaching practice, I'll be sure to seek help in understanding a way to overcome it by opening u to a trusted colleague."

But, by the 1980s and right through unit 2017, my two possible answers were:
A. "I do not consider myself to have weaknesses as a teaching practitioner but I have a lot to say about the weaknesses of managers and principals in the school system. I'd be happy to tell you about that instead."
OR
B. "I do not perceive weaknesses and shortcomings in my teaching, Graeme/Mike/Jennifer/Helen/John, but obviously you seem to think so. Why not print out your thoughts long-hand and I'll pass them on to my teachers' federation counsellor and have him/her get back to your with a response."

As was so often the case, mediocre or poor principals who felt threatened by well-trained, articulate, effective teachers on their staffs would start to ride them into the ground and to promote people more like themselves.

Your thoughts?

I think it works completely different for me. For example, I signed up for marathon in half a year and if I tell my friends about it, I will train harder and show better results on the marathon. For me sharing my plan to my friends works as additional motivation. (Maybe this is even the main source of motivation in hard times.) They will definitely ask me after the marathon how was it and I will tell how hard it was, but I managed to successfully accomplish my goal. However, it happened to me, that I signed up to another running event, didn't tell anyone, lost my motivation, stopped training and skipped the event. Nobody will call me a looser in this case since nobody knows that I had intention to do this. It is scaring to claim something and don't succeed in it.

P.S I like your book, thank you for sharing your thoughts

The rule I follow is: Don't announce your plans but you may share your progress.

Sometimes it's differnt ways.
Did you hear about elon musk he said 'self-driving car almost done'and he make it But i know it's differnt because he's a Entrepreneur So he need to challenge for next generation.

Great blog. This seems to really work for me. When I tell others of my plans they never seem to pan out.

at the same time, public accountability, desire to be consistent with what you say, shame, and guilt are powerful forces that hold you to commitments. see what works for you

Great to know ^^

I think this is so true. The funny thing is that I have read some comments here in this blog, and I lot of people are cntradicting the message behind it which is to keep your goals to yourself. And so many people here are anouncing their goal publicly: "I am going to shut my month," "I will never tell anyone about my plans anymore" and so on.
I think because they are making it public here, they may not follow through with it. It is so easy to forget this.
Sometimes while you are reading something or listening to something, you get inspired to start doing something and make it a habit in your life. However, with all information and advice in the world, you get disctracted and never adopt anything.
Ha! I hadn't noticed that. Great observation. Thank you. — Derek

The guidance not to share identity-linked plans is actionable for me immediately and for the entire 2026. I will not share my plans here or elsewhere. But I want to thank Derek for bringing this up to my attention at a critical time. Thank you!

I have been a victim of announcing my intentions and plans before embarking on them, this has not only inhibited my execution, but it has also invited resentment and jealousy from the hearers, thanks for this write up, learning the hard way.

Greetings Derek

Isn't this article resonating in contradiction to one of your articles titled 'Dashing Dog, Searching for purpose' where you asserted that "when we announce something, we have social need to be congruent" ?
Yep! I'm honored that you noticed! — Derek

Beautiful article! Found the video on YouTube and I am here.

This is actually true, whenever we announce something that we intend to do it, we actually never do it later! This explains it so well.

Thank you so much Derek!

Love from Pakistan!

I’m in the middle of two projects and I talk about them a lot. I’m excited to find there may be a way around this. I’ve been stuck for about 7 weeks. Thanks