Setting goals is a vital aspect of personal and professional aspect. The famous mentor Tony Robbins says, “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into visible.” But the question is whether you should keep your goals secret.
When it comes to sharing your goals with others, there are many valid reasons you should keep them private. Whether it’s achieving your career milestones, fitness goals, improving your health, or following your passions, keep them private.
Let’s dive into why you should keep your goals secret and whether there is any exceptional case where you can share.
Why Should You Keep Your Goals Secret?
It’s because keeping your goals secret eliminates the naysayers, and you don’t get distracted from the real things. When you share your motives with others, many people may be ready to discourage you and doubt your abilities. So, keep your goals secret and shield yourself from their skepticism.
You create a protective space where you can work on your goals without external interference. It allows you to maintain a positive mindset, focusing solely on your own belief in your abilities. It’s important to remember that only some understand your dreams or have the same level of ambition. So, by safeguarding your goals, you can preserve your motivation and maintain a healthy level of self-confidence.
Also, sharing your goals with friends, family, and others distracts your mind. Imagine exposing a young seedling to a hot sun; that’s exactly the case here. It hinders your productivity, and you don’t work on your goals and make meaningful progress. You will think more about your goals and won’t be able to live in the moment.
Stay focused on seeking others’ approval or validation by sharing your goals with them. This external validation-seeking behavior is due to fear of judgement and self-doubt. The satisfaction derived from sharing your intentions can deceive your mind into feeling as if you have already achieved something significant. Consequently, this false sense of achievement can diminish your drive and decrease the sense of urgency required to reach your goals. This distraction leads to a lack of clarity and a loss of momentum in pursuing your objectives.
Exposing Damages The End Result
Sharing your goals with others harms you in two ways: you lose personal ownership over your goals and face the fear of failure. You attract others’ advice and unwanted opinions, and more people get involved, which may harm your progress. Moreover, you fear the embarrassment of failure and not achieving your goals.
Revealing Goals Kills Your Motivation
The premature satisfaction you get by sharing your goals kills your motivation to achieve your goals. You might get praise from people for your plans, which gives you a dopamine boost. But in reality, you are just tricking your mind and don’t make enough effort to achieve your goals. So, that’s why focusing on your aims and keeping them secret is a great way to avoid this element.
Fantasizing Things Have Downsides
Fantasizing about positive outcomes is great and can help you achieve your goals. But it detaches you from reality; you might fix unrealistic goals and daydream about them. People can’t side with you when they think you are being unrealistic. Another reason is that fantasizing often puts a false sense of accomplishment in your mind, which might make you complacent.
Needless Pressure For Accomplishment
Publically revealing your goals, again and again, causes burnout, and you don’t enjoy the task of taking action towards your goals. So, it puts unnecessary pressure on you to accomplish them. The fear of judgment and proving yourself to others might distract you from taking the right action. You won’t take risks, plan and make strategies required to make your dreams a reality.
Fake Sense of Accomplishment
The Social reality effect hits you, and you get a false sense of accomplishment and think you are progressing. But in reality, it hinders your productivity and motivation to take action. You don’t take an interest in your goals further, so you won’t see them becoming a reality. You go into a stagnant mode and live in your unrealistic world.
You must keep these reasons in mind before revealing your goals in front of others. But that moves us toward another important question. Should you keep your goals private from everyone or you can share them with some specific people? Let’s dive into the details and find out the answer.
Should You Keep Your Goals Private From Everyone?
No, you can share your goals with your spouse, best friend, mentors, or anyone you think might add value. These people will give you thoughtful judgments, free from bias or jealousy. Choose a person whose thoughts you value and share your aspirations with them.
You don’t have to shut your mouth indefinitely because that’s not how it works. You have to observe and know the things outside your head; people close to you can give you those insights. Sharing your goals with these individuals can provide you with encouragement, guidance, and accountability.
Sharing your goals with such people gives you the motivation and courage to pursue your dreams. They might also find mistakes in your current strategy that you can amend and move forward. The best part is they won’t discourage you and don’t put needless pressure on your shoulders.
Sharing your goals depends on your personal preferences, but if someone can add value, go for it. They might give you insights that align with your strategy, which you use to achieve your aims. So, always look for individuals you trust and support you during your journey. Sharing your goals with them helps you achieve them and gives you internal satisfaction.
How To Keep Your Goals Secret?
The best way to keep your goals secret is not to tell anyone you don’t trust or value. Only share with close individuals who add value to your strategies or encourage you. You can avoid external influence or pressure by not conveying, which gives you a sense of control.
I know it’s tempting to post everything on social media in today’s era. But you must control your urge to stop broadcasting everything you do in life. This way, you won’t have to deal with outside noises about your goals. So, control your social media posting about your plans.
Another great way to keep your goals secret is to keep a journal. It’s vital to have one because it will help you avoid the urge to discuss your goals with anyone. You will talk to yourself in a journal that helps you devise strategies and keeps you from opening up about your goals.
Don’t Tell Anyone
Discussing your goals in public has consequences that we discussed in detail. So, keep your mouth shut before making some progress and gradually start opening up about your goals. Choose the people carefully before sharing your goals with them. Avoid the urge to discuss your goals because keeping yourself on track to achieve them is necessary.
Don’t Post on Social Media
The urge to post everything on social media is tempting and sometimes irresistible. But you have to cope with it if you don’t want to reveal your goals prematurely. Exposing your goals on a social platform can attract scrutiny from people whose opinions don’t matter. But they disturb your thought process and prevent you from taking action to achieve your goals. So, don’t post your plans on social media.
Keep A Journal
As the urge to share your goals with someone becomes hard, so it’s better to keep a journal. Share your daily experiences in that journal and note your decisions and how they can help you achieve your goals. It enables you to focus on taking action rather than having a false sense of achievement.
Ending Thoughts
Keeping your goals secret has many advantages; we have discussed them in detail. Some people only discourage you and pass judgment based on their thinking. That’s why you should share goals only with people who are sincere and whose opinions you value the most.
