31–40 of 60 posts
I noticed this effect very early on as a kid, where I was often hacking away at some new project or trying to undermine some system. Some of my ideas were pretty exciting, so usually I'd be bursting to pass on my excitement to someone else - usually my parents. (As any entrepreneur can confirm, coming up with a great new idea is very rewarding) However, I never failed to feel like I lost some intrinsic level of motiv…
When I did the Ironman last year, I told everyone about it: friends, family and co-workers. I did it on purpose. It was a risk I took, because would I have failed to prepare for the race or finish the race, everyone would have thought I'm a "looser" or "quitter". I used this fear as additional motivational fuel. Also, to my surprise, most people told me I'm an idiot for even attempting an Ironman and that I wouldn't…
I noticed this effect very early on as a kid, where I was often hacking away at some new project or trying to undermine some system. Some of my ideas were pretty exciting, so usually I'd be bursting to pass on my excitement to someone else - usually my parents. (As any entrepreneur can confirm, coming up with a great new idea is very rewarding) However, I never failed to feel like I lost some intrinsic level of motiv…
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, and then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events…
First of all, I was immediately turned off by this article when it cited a study from 1933 . Sure he used other evidence later, but I've come into the habit of being seriously skeptical of any scientific work done more than twenty years ago. I may be reading this article wrong, but this seems to fly in the face of Steve Blank's customer development model and other wisdoms that are being thrown around these days. To m…
I've come into the habit of being seriously skeptical of any scientific work done more than twenty years ago. That has amusing implications for us, twenty years from now.
I'm not convinced that announcing plans causes people not to fulfil them. The studies may show correllation, but I wouldn't assume cause and effect. Another explanation could be that the people who keep their plans to themselves are the kind of people who are more likely to carry them out.
What's more important is finding those factors that personally motivate you.
For me making a public announcement helps in the short term, to get the ball rolling, but doesn't keep my motivation at a high level.
But I have a counterexample, too: my house renovation, which I'm blogging. (Cf. http://big-old-house.blogspot.com) Clearly, I'm being public about my plans there, and yet, knowing that people are going to look at what I've gotten done today is a real motivator in getting something done every day, even if it's trivial. So in that instance, the publicity has really helped motivate me (as Maro noted earlier with the Ironman prep).
Perhaps human involvement in big projects isn't necessarily a demotivator; in my house case, I'd say that I assign my social value to each task only as it's done and I can show people what I did -- by breaking the big project down into little tasks, and not talking about the little tasks until they're complete, I can get the best of both worlds (i.e. having the social support and advice of people, without the loss of motivation due to talking about unhatched chickens).
I noticed this effect very early on as a kid, where I was often hacking away at some new project or trying to undermine some system. Some of my ideas were pretty exciting, so usually I'd be bursting to pass on my excitement to someone else - usually my parents. (As any entrepreneur can confirm, coming up with a great new idea is very rewarding) However, I never failed to feel like I lost some intrinsic level of motiv…
I wish I could upvote you 5 more times.
So if you want to give up smoking, tell the whole world and they will hold you accountable. If you want invent something new and exciting, only share it with people you know will support you.