Why it's not a good idea to tell others what you're going to do

Ego gratification, that's why.

I'm going to write a book, I'm going to establish a business, I'm going do this and do that. Ever said or wrote anything like this? I did this a lot. I was always talking about the things I'm going to. However, I rarely actually did them.

After reading Ryan Holiday's bestseller Ego is the Enemy, I was enlightened. When we get excited about something, we want to share it. That initial excitement is a great fuel but it doesn't last very long. We've all been there. How many blogs fizzle out after a few weeks or months? (I explicitly wrote that to hold myself accountable)

It's better to refrain from telling anyone of your plans and instead just do them. Work behind the scenes, without anyone knowing of your goals. Work quietly and patiently. Once you finish your work, then share and tell as much as you can.

Your ego likes when you say what you're going to do because it's as if you almost did it. This in turn makes us feel good. In reality, nothing has changed. Only thinking about doing something is absolutely worthless. It doesn't bring you one step closer to your goal. In fact, I've found out it actually makes more difficult to achieve these “exposed” goals.

So instead of telling people “I'm going to do this”, tell them: “Check out what I did”. While you're receiving the feedback and accolades, you're already working on something else. This is how many writers and artists go about their work. They don't sit on Instagram and Twitter “marketing” themselves all day long. They do the work! Don't misunderstand me here, marketing is very very very important but doing the work obviously takes priority.

KRISTJAN