Personal growth literature is, in many ways, a collection of remedies.
To know which remedy you should take, you need to carry out a proper diagnosis.
What works for others may not work for you, simply because you’re experiencing the same symptoms, but suffering from an entirely different condition.
This is why you need to be very selective about the advice you follow, and not to put your hopes up that you will experience the exact same successes others have experienced by following the steps they’ve taken.
One such step is public accountability. Many personal growth writers swear by its effectiveness and encourage their readers to put themselves “out there” in order to experience growth, but my own experiences are just the opposite.
Whenever I publicly announce a goal I almost always fail to meet it. Having others know about your goals can put you under pressure, but it depends on you whether it’s the good kind of pressure or not.
Do you find the thought of public accountability distracting? Does it make you panic? Does it encourage negative feedback?
Does it excite you? Does it make you feel more committed? Does it attract positive feedback?
There’s no way of saying that public accountability is universally good or bad. It depends on your own circumstances and how you feel towards it.
If it does put you under pressure, then don’t announce your New Year’s resolutions to the world.
Keep them a secret (at least for now). You may feel much more comfortable letting other people know what you’ve been up to after getting some results you’re proud of revealing rather than have others question your chances of success when you’re empty-handed.
I have some goals that seem too far-fetched and idealistic that I don’t share with others. By keeping some goals private, I allow myself to explore these goals further, without having to explain myself to others or be under their watchful eye.
Decide which goals you are comfortable sharing publicly and which goals you wish to keep private, and be aware of the influence public accountability has on your performance..
4 replies on “The Countdown – Day 17: Is Public Accountability A Good Thing?”
Another excellent post! Well-thought-out; well-balanced. I agree 100%. (Maybe that’s why I enjoy reading your blog…) You and I seem to think alike, but I find you are often ahead of me in formalizing what I am thinking.
Personal Growth Map is the only personal growth blog I bother to read any more.
An aside: I find it interesting that even though we apparently belong to different “cultures”, we seem to see ourselves and the world around us much alike.
Thank you very much, Bill! I appreciate your support and am thrilled to know that you find my posts of value. 😀
I lived in London (UK) for 11 years, and my immersion in two different cultures has helped me widen my horizons and gain an appreciation for different perspectives. Besides, the mentalities you find in one culture will likely exist in other cultures. For example, you’ll find fundamentalists in all religions and nationalists in every country.
And it seems that we share the same outlooks. 🙂
Thanks 🙂
I wouldn’t share my new year’s resolutions because of the negative pressure you talked about.
I would also need to track my progress otherwise I will just forget everything :p
Tracking progress (and simply remembering what my goals are!) is one of my biggest problems! I’ll be covering this topic later on. 🙂