Why Publicly Announcing Your Goals is a Bad Idea

The downside of announcing our goals publicly is instant gratification. I’m guilty of this. In 2020, I announced publicly I would complete a full marathon (26.2 miles). It’s 2024 and I still haven’t done it.

People congratulate you before you even achieve it, and the gratification makes you feel like you’re already done.

Here are three ways you can reach your goals while keeping them behind closed doors.

1. Find an accountability partner.

An accountability partner is someone you value, trust, and keeps you on track. They can be a friend, relative, or mentor.

Once you have your goal in mind, let them know. Explain what you’re aiming for, why you’re doing it, and how you plan on doing it.

Lean on your accountability partner when you need to. But don't expect them to do all the motivating.

As humans, we feel good when we help people. If you choose the right accountability partner, you’ll feel good that you told someone without telling everyone you know about what you're going to do.

2. Grind in Silence

High-achieving individuals sometimes like to keep their goals private. It’s more of a show, don’t tell mentality.

We all know someone who talks the talk, but doesn’t… you know the rest.

The last thing I want is to be someone who can’t follow through. It shows weakness, unaccountability, and you shouldn’t be taken serious.

Write down your goals, refer to my 5-year plan guidelines , and find ways to make ideas come into fruition.

3. Do some soul-searching.

Not everyone knows what goals they want to achieve and that’s fine. I didn’t start finding myself until I stepped out of my comfort zone.

Joining the Army, trying unique skills, networking, constant trial and error all made me the person I am today.

Failure is at every corner. Embrace it, don’t run from it.

The more you fall flat on your face and fail, the more life experience you have. But if you curl up into a ball and crumble under pressure, then you won't ever see what could be waiting for you on the other side.

“Life is like a game of chess. To win you have to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with insight and knowledge, and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way.” ― Allan Rufus, The Master’s Sacred Knowledge

Final Thought

Odds are, you’re already a high-achieving individual for clicking this article. You know what you need to accomplish but might have a habit of telling everyone and their friends about it.

Keep certain things behind closed doors. It can do more damage than good.

Instead of telling 5–10 people, maybe just 1–2 is fine. Together, we’ll become doers instead of talkers.