You see it all the time…I’ve done this. Friends have done this. Your favorite blogger has probably done this.

They announce to the world (or their social circle) that they’re going to do SOMETHING.

• “I’m going to go on this diet.”
• “I’m going to do P90X or the Hollywood Physique.“
• “I’m going to start a business or make this product.”
• “I’m going to travel to X,Y,Z.”

And 99% of the time, what happens? Nothing gets done. They back out. You make excuses. They stop talking about the goal and pretend as if the declaration had never been made.

I’m here to tell you to STOP ANNOUNCING YOUR GOALS. Keep your mouth shut. Just do it and don’t say a word until it’s done.

Based on my experiences achieving several big goals I’ve set for myself, I believe you’re more likely to follow through on a goal or plan if you don’t announce it to others.

I’ve announced goals on this blog before…and guess what? They died a painful death.

And the goals I haven’t announced? They’ve been achieved:

• Completed the Hollywood Physique
• Travel goals
• Business milestones

The PROBLEM With Public Goal Announcments (PGA’s not PDA’s)

The problem with announcing your goals up front is that everyone jumps in and says, “Awesome! We wish you luck! You’re great for trying to do this!” And you get a bunch of positive endorphins running through your body WITHOUT ever actually doing anything.

This is straight out of Tony Robbins’ cookbook but I believe in it: One of the biggest motivators for change is going AWAY from pain and TOWARDS pleasure.

So when you just ‘tell’ everyone that you’re going to change, they give you positive feedback and it reduces that pain and gives you some pleasure for a little while…and you become less driven and focused to achieve your original goal.

Whereas, if you don’t say anything to anyone up front, the pain of not having what you desire isn’t being masked with other’s compliments and you’ll have a stronger desire to move away from it.

But What About Accountability?

A lot of personal growth bloggers might recoil in horror, “But you have to be held accountable!”

Yes, I agree, accountability is good. But, the problem is…MOST PEOPLE SUCK.

The majority of people a) don’t give a shit (DGAS) about your dreams and goals or b) don’t want you to achieve them.

Let’s say you announce your goal to a group of say 7 people.

• 4 of them DGAS (which is fine, life isn’t all about you).
• 2 secretly resent you (maybe even subconsciously) and don’t want you to succeed.
• *Maybe* just 1 of them cares and *maybe* they’ll be able to help you achieve your goals and keep you accountable.

(Now imagine if you’re a blogger and announce your plans to thousands of people!)

Now, don’t get me wrong: it’s GREAT to have a mentor, a coach, a super-solid-amigo. Go find your mentor or your bestest good friend to be your accountability buddy. Screw everyone else though.

When I was on the Hollywood Physique Clay yelled at me one night for eating a mango. “Why are you sabotaging yourself?” he asked me as the mango slowly dropped out of my gaping jaw. He was right. Screw that mango. Thank you accountability coach.

If I had been eating that mango in front of anyone else they wouldn’t have said a word. They would have kept their mouth shut and let me ruin myself one juicy bite at a time. “It’s just a mango,” they’d say. No, it’s an off-program-Hollywood-Physique-killing-time-bomb, asshole. Don’t let me do it.

Recap:

If you’re having trouble achieving your goals…

• Don’t announce your goals to anyone besides mentors / coaches / super-solid-amigos
• You should write down your goals and set deadlines but don’t go fully nude public.

Tagged as: hollywood physique review, mens self improvement, personal development, self growth, setting goals