Day 17: On sharing your goals
I’ve always had a weird relationship with goals. There will be days where I say, “I will reinvent myself,” pick up a notebook, and write down a list of long-term aspirations. Fast-forward two weeks and that notebook page is never seen again. Back to step 1.
Could sharing your goals with others keep those goals from dying in silence? Maybe someone will remind us about that goal we told them two weeks ago. Unless they’re a close friend or relative, though, they’ve probably forgotten about it faster than you. Even if they haven’t forgotten, would they be willing to check up on your progress? It’s an uncomfortable thing to ask a friend how their fitness journey is going, only for them to share that they haven’t done much. Most of us would want to avoid that uncomfortable situation. On the flip side, sharing your goals grants you immediate gratification for simply announcing your intent to do something. You say, “I’m going to read 100 books this year,” and people will admire you for such an ambitious dream.
Writing this daily blog is in some ways in direct opposition to everything I’ve said so far. I’m publicly sharing everything I’m doing and hoping to do in the future. I’ve already gotten messages from others, congratulating me for making such a bold decision. It will be tough to balance the pros/cons of this decision, so I’m trying to stay mindful of when I’m over-promising on something I may not achieve. I hope you all will hold me to the promises I do make, though.
Read more: Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them
If you want to set goals for accountability purposes, check out this project that lets you share them in secret.
Progress Update
3 wins today:
Google approved the closed beta test for my app, so I’m finally able to send it out to people for testing. If you volunteered to test, look out for a message/email from me.
I gained clarity on my long-term goals and wrote them down.
The business that I had emailed a while back has responded, and a meeting is now scheduled.
It’s nice to have positive news to share after a few days of sharing describing my doubt and confusion.