Don’t tell anyone your goals
I’ve noticed that whenever I talk to someone about my intentions, plans or goals it makes me less likely to follow through with them. This is because talking about positive intentions gives me a small endorphin rush similar to what you would feel if you actually completed the intention.
This faux-pleasure from fantasizing about the result/outcome of a goal isn’t a new concept, but I believe that by doing it in a social setting i’m also giving my ego a nice little boost from an external force.
So what I’ve been doing recently is forbidding myself to talk about the goal that I am currently working towards, and only allowing myself to talk about a goal once it is actually completed.
This seems pretty basic but it is really helping me to celebrate and reward actual success and to not celebrate and reward simply having the idea to succeed.
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.