Words and Accountability
There’s another reason why, in some cases, you might decide to share your goal with someone else. And that’s for accountability. In other words, if I tell others I’m going to do something, then I have to go ahead and do it! Think of this approach as “burning your bridges.”
Let me assure you I’m not a believer in “burning bridges” when it comes to personal or business relationships. But sometimes the only way to move forward in life – and to achieve an ambitious goal – is to cut off all avenues of retreat. This can be a very useful strategy. We may tell a friend that we’re going to work out at the gym three times this week- knowing that at the end of the week, this friend will ask whether we did, in fact, go to the gym three times!
An even more dramatic example is that of well-known motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. Ziglar decided to go on a diet and reduce his weight from 202 pounds to 165 pounds. At the same time, he was writing his book “See you at the Top”. In the book, Ziglar included a statement that he got his weight down to 165 pounds.
This was 10 months before the book went to press. And then he placed an order with the printer for 25,000 copies! Now, remember, at the time he wrote these words, Ziglar actually weighed 202. He put his credibility on the line with 25,000 people! By including a statement that he weighed 165 pounds, Ziglar knew that he had to lose 37 pounds before the book was printed. And, he did!
Use this strategy selectively. Limit it to those goals that are very important to you – and where you’re committed to go the distance. Is it risky? You bet it is. But it’s a tremendous motivator!
