Should You Tell Your Personal Goals To Others?

This debate topic is inspired from a TED talk that says recent studies show that if you announce your goals to others, you're less likely to achieve them. However, if you just keep your goals to yourself, the chances of you achieving them are more likely. This would make the topic an interesting debate. Based on your personal experiences of setting up goals for yourself; which is the better option? -
  1. Share your personal goals with others (maybe your near & dear ones)
  2. Just keep them to yourself
You may watch this video -

Replies

  • Dancer_Engineer
    Dancer_Engineer
    I agree to the video, not completely though.

    But on a personal note, I would say you can tell your goal to two people;
    One - who is trustworthy and ever encouraging,
    Two - who can offer you healthy criticism.
  • Kaustubh Katdare
    Kaustubh Katdare
    Just one reply here? πŸ‘Ž
  • Ankita Katdare
    Ankita Katdare
    The video mentions that it becomes more unlikely that people complete their goal once they share it with someone.
    On a personal level, I refrain from sharing my goals to anyone other than my immediate family.
    {This is because they demand and deserve to know what I am up to, all the time. πŸ˜› }

    The world is full of nay-sayers and pessimistic people. Sharing my goals with someone only increases the chances of them disheartening me.
    Plus, I love to achieve the goals I have set and then pleasantly surprise everyone around. 😁
  • silverscorpion
    silverscorpion
    I generally don't share my personal goals to anyone else.. But that is because, I usually don't feel the need to tell it to anyone else.

    I don't know how much of this claim is true. But one can easily argue both sides of this argument.
    One can say, after sharing our goals, we will be motivated to work towards it, and hence, it actually motivates us towards the goal.
    For the opposite side, you can say the psychological argument in the video, that it gives you a preemptive satisfaction, and hence,
    ou don't feel motivated enough.

    But in my personal experience, whenever I do tell my goals to someone else, which is not very often, I actually feel the compulsion
    to act on it, now that it is known to someone else, and lest he/she asks about it the next time, I should have made some progress
    at least, to speak of. I have never experienced such satisfaction merely by sharing my goal to others. Perhaps I should share more of
    my goals and see if it works that way!! πŸ˜›
  • Gandalf
    Gandalf
    Positive vibes may actually make you create a better product or service or idea to meet the expectations that you created by sharing it.
  • Dancer_Engineer
    Dancer_Engineer
    Gandalf
    Positive vibes may actually make you create a better product or service or idea to meet the expectations that you created by sharing it.
    I agree!
    I had read in a book, don't remember the name of the book (The Secret / Three Feet From Gold), where it is mentioned that if you tell others about your goals then there is pressure created around you; and you tend to work under that pressure and work well.
    But yes, it is not healthy for people who panic under pressure.
  • eternalthinker
    eternalthinker
    I associate sharing goals also to the current progress in that particular goal.

    Sharing goals in their very early days is a no-no for me. It somehow feels pointless
    For one, I don't know when I'll even get started πŸ˜› .
    Besides, when an idea is repeated too often before any serious work on it is started, an inertia builds up and motivation drains away.

    I share goals to a few close ones (who can relate to that goal) once it reaches some progress (At a point where I'm at peak activity on it).
    And that is somewhat reassuring and encouraging.

    Above all, no one will know about my awesomest goals/ideas until they are developed enough for a good surprise! πŸ˜‰
  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman
    PraveenKumar Purushothaman
    I agree to this video, and yeah. Same thing happens with me too, but in a different way! When I think of something, I need to get some resources to have it done. For eg., if a new stuff to be done, and if I can't do it as a single person, I need my friends to help me. So, the moment when I say to them about it, I become half lethargic and keep on postponing. But some things, which I would like to prove my mettle, without saying to anyone and start working on it until it gets completed, will be successful and yeah, after that I would announce it to the world! I was thinking it weird, but now after seeing this video, I came to know the reason behind it! πŸ˜€
  • Whats In Name
    Whats In Name
    Personally,I don't think that we should share our goals with others;actually there's no reason to do it.Asking for advice is a different thing.But what (generally) people do is become detractors and point out slip-ups and then unless you are really headstrong,your goal gets carved according to their expectations.
    So,basically it depends from person to person.

You are reading an archived discussion.

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