Video About Achieving Goals
This is a video with a transcript inspired by a TED talk showing how you can achieve goals.
The transcript is below if you prefer reading.
Transcript
I will show why keeping goals to yourself is effective, and what you can do to achieve them. The short answer to achieve goals is to shut up and keep it to yourself. For the longer answer and an explanation, keep listening.
I watched a TED talk by Derek Sivers that inspired me. http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_keep_your_goals_to_yourself.html
When thinking about completing goals, two primary things to consider are sharing or keeping it to ourselves. Some people advocate sharing because, they say, it helps to get feedback while setting a goal post to strive for. That goal post is supposed to help live up to the expectations created. We want to impress those we shared with. The problem is that the opposite happens. We instantly become much less likely to achieve it. The reason is that there is another, more powerful factor involved in goal sharing. When receiving instant gratification, support, and admiration by sharing there is a rush of contentment and excitement! This feels great at the time! We revel in the limelight, receive an instant fix and short term attention as we are looked up to. By sharing goals, that is what we are seeking. We do not share because we want to do them, on the contrary, we do it for attention. In the long term, we never get anything completed. Progress. Is. Halted. The end is visualized too soon. We feel like we are wasting our lives. The idea is immediately off-loaded from our active thoughts. It feels nearly finished, so we stop advancing towards the goal. If you or someone else shares goals, you can be assured that attention, not action, is desired.
A better option to reach goals is to hold our tongue. Warning, this can be very difficult at first. It can be depressing and lonely forgoing instant feedback to stoke our egos. This feeling will persist as long as we hold our tongue. At the same time, the goal will fester at the back of our mind to remind us we need to act to complete it. So we think about the idea, try to improve it, ponder over it, and work towards it. This can be very difficult while formulating a plan to realize our goals. It may feel like you have nothing to talk about. But, dividends are paid when we finish it. After that, we can start talking, not about what we want to do, but what we have accomplished. Once you achieve something, that same feeling of sharing will return. But this time it will be much more permanent, strong, and satisfying. And you will have finished something.
When someone asks you, what are you planning on doing in the future or what are your goals, answer, I have no idea what will happen or let us see. If they keep pushing it, defer by talking about what you have already accomplished. If you really want to achieve something, remember this: to get it done, shut up.
Looking back, it has been true many times. My proudest accomplishments have been done without sharing. There are also things that have never been finished or started because I chose to share them. It felt long and lonely for over a year as I stopped sharing goals and getting that instant feedback. But, I have actually achieved something.
Next time you want to complete something, remember, hold it to yourself if you want to complete it. This will not feel as good immediately, but in the long run, you will be much happier! Thank me later. This botanical garden is calling.
Run credits. Run gaffes.
/End transcript.
Update 25 August 2013.
It is very hard to say nothing when people share their grandiose plans and ask what you are doing. Especially when they think you are being completely lazy and doing nothing. I really want to say something, to try show that I am not just wasting my life. To get credit and instant gratification from sharing.