Seems a study says telling people about your intentions has a partially satisfying effect in and of itself and makes it less likely you will pursue accomplishing them: http://sivers.org/zipit Shut up! Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them. June 16th, 2009 Shouldn’t you announce your goals, so friends can support you? Isn’t it good networking to tell people about your upcoming projects? Doesn’t the “Law of Attraction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” mean you should state your intention, and visualize the goal as already yours? Nope. Tests done since 1933 show that people who talk about their intentions are less likely to make them happen. Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed. In 1933, W. Mahler found that if a person announced the solution to a problem, and was acknowledged by others, it was now in the brain as a “social reality”, even if the solution hadn’t actually been achieved. NYU psychology professor Peter Gollwitzer has been studying this since his 1982 book “Symbolic Self-Completion” (pdf article here) – and recently published results of new tests in a research article, “When Intentions Go Public: Does Social Reality Widen the Intention-Behavior Gap?” Four different tests of 63 people found that those who kept their intentions private were more likely to achieve them than those who made them public and were acknowledged by others. Once you’ve told people of your intentions, it gives you a “premature sense of completeness.” You have “identity symbols” in your brain that make your self-image. Since both actions and talk create symbols in your brain, talking satisfies the brain enough that it “neglects the pursuit of further symbols.” A related test found that success on one sub-goal (eating healthy meals) reduced efforts on other important sub-goals (going to the gym) for the same reason. It may seem unnatural to keep your intentions and plans private, but try it. If you do tell a friend, make sure not to say it as a satisfaction (“I’ve joined a gym and bought running shoes. I’m going to do it!”), but as dissatisfaction (“I want to lose 20 pounds, so kick my ass if I don’t, OK?”)
Well.... I'm BONED! Guess I'll go sit on the couch then....and eat chips and dip and suck up beer until I explode! After all, those studies just can't be wrong!
I myself am a walking talking contradiction. Prebirth my Mother was told one or both of us would die. This was 1950. The doctor was willing to do an abortion to save her life and take mine. She refused and here I am. After knowledge of a start like that, I can't help myself when it comes to going against the flow. I am also named "Thomas", and as such question many accepted concepts. Exspecially absolutes. Have a great day Monkies .... I will !!!
Now you know since you've said your new goal out loud; it won't happen ! Thanks, tacmotusn! I will too!
I think that answers my question after coming up with any really good idea in the past : ("well, wecould try this: "XX", Hey great idea!!! "If I'm so smart , why aint I rich?") Or is the real conclusion of the study "people who talk alot turn out to be blowhards..."????
Goals that I am serious about (and I am a world class procrastinator) I write down in big letters with a wide tip sharpie and post in conspicuous places.... such as the refrigerator door, the back door of the house on the inside so I will see it as I exit, above my computer desk where i will see it everytime I sit there. the whole idea is for my important goals to reach out and slap me in the face to remind me what I need to do!!!
I was told once by a fellow aerospace machinist that "I was the biggest list maker he had ever seen in his life". That is more truth than fiction, as I fill 3 ring and spiral bound notebooks with notes each month... My son says he would have to live 3-4 lifetimes to read them all. It's true! I do make lists...and I make a lot of them... But,....I always follow up, do what is on the list, and anything that was not done, is carried over to the next, and so on and so on..... It's an never ending process, and when you are busy running a cnc machine and measuring every piece for very close tolerances, you can't try to remember everything that may come across your mind each day. I found that by making lists, reviewing them, and subtracting those things I had accomplished, kept my mind free from a lot of worry about forgeting anything I felt was important. At last count, there were some 16, 300/500 page notebooks filled from front and back with drawings, ideas, etc. I still do this today, and it still saves me time and worry, and makes it a lot easier to go to the hardware or grocery stores! It's like having an external 200 GB hard drive for extra memory!
Hmmm. but I can no longer read my handwriting...it was never very readable and with relying on keyboards for fewyears its just gotten worse.
I'm a list user too. It helps keep you on track and self-acknowledge your accomplishments. T3 - You can type and print them.
The trouble is the keyboard won't pay attention and keeps making a LOT of typo's! I even went out and bought another one...seems they're all defective!
you have to keep track of your"accomplishments" with multiple lists? jeez Iam a useless eater..., lol
This must be the reason I haven't finished rebuilding my mud bogger, a project of mine that has been in the making for months now.
