Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Power of the Written Goal

I realize that my recent posts about goals are less than scintillating to my five or six readers.

But as I reviewed my lack of accomplishments for 2011, I realized that I can't make many improvements in my life if I don't have any goals (other than the vague "work out more" or "write more.") Writing goals down makes them concrete.

Today I read an article from Sunday's New York Times, "Be It Resolved" http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/sunday-review/new-years-resolutions-stick-when-willpower-is-reinforced.html?pagewanted=all. It reinforced what I was thinking. Whatever you hope for--you're more likely to make improvements if you have a formal resolution (or goal as I prefer.) Ten times more likely according to one study.

The article referenced a website to help set and achieve goals, http://www.stickk.com/. First, you select your goal. Then you have the option to set stakes--such as money that you can send to a friend, a charity or an anti-charity if you fail. You can choose a referee to monitor your efforts and confirm your progress reports. You can also invite your friends to support you.

It's an intriguing idea though I'm not ready for that kind of commitment.



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