 In Myth 17 I talked about not sharing a goal too early. I recently read a paper on some very interesting research into the effect of other people taking notice of someone’s behavioural intention (which may be a goal). Where this intention is identity-relevant (i.e. becoming a better engineer, parent, dancer), and strongly felt, what do you think happens to the person’s motivation when the intention is made known to another person, or other people? Does it increase? Are they more motivated to achieve the intention?
Somewhat counter-intuitively, motivation actually decreases. The recognition by others creates a level of completeness in the subconscious, of fulfilment, reducing the drive to perform. Those that kept the intention to themselves performed better. Even sharing with a mentor could have this effect if they don’t manage you correctly. The theory is that this would extend to other types of intentions, or goals. More reason to keep your goals to yourself in the early stages. For more goal setting myths, visit: https://www.chrislchristoff.com/blog For more tips on setting goals, visit: https://www.chrislchristoff.com/resources Photo by Erik Jan Leusink on Unsplash
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