Hey everyone,
I’m doing something different in 2019. While I’m setting goals (big, audacious, hairy ones), I’m not sharing them publicly.
Why?
When Sarah Blakely, self-made billionaire and founder of Spanx, was first launching her product, she didn’t tell anyone about it. Not her family, not her friends, not anyone she wasn’t directly pitching it to. Her dreams were big and because they were so big, she knew she didn’t have the belief and the reserves yet to be able to protect them from other people’s opinions, criticisms and fears.
I’m very open in my newsletters and especially so in my Finishers community about my goals, ambitions, and desires. I have an increasingly public image. When I send out newsletters, I get dozens of emails from people, often with their own viewpoints and agendas. Almost always, I love and appreciate these viewpoints and welcome them. But when it comes to our goals—our goals should never be up for discussion.
When I first started as a freelancer, people told me it was impossible to make a living as a freelancer from India. When I did that, it was impossible to make six figures. I’ve now done that too, and they’re still telling me that my goals are too ambitious, my dreams too big, my desire too high.
Here’s the thing: When you’re failing, people will tell you it’s impossible. When you succeed, they tell you that you got lucky.
Like Sarah Blakely, I 100% believe in my goals and dreams, but at this point in my journey, I don’t yet have the reserves to defend those goals, especially to people who have never truly witnessed my will, my determination, or my talent. All those viewpoints would do is that they’d threaten to introduce conflict and doubt in my mind where it didn’t exist before. I’m not yet so solid in my goals to be able to wave away that doubt.
We are all in charge of honoring, protecting, and nurturing our dreams. Some of us do that—as I have done in the past—by sharing, so that we can build accountability and momentum. I now have professionals who provide that for me—agents, editors, and coaches—and so this year, I’m trying something new. I’m working silently behind the scenes and really building my faith in my goals and dreams without the added pressure of explaining them.
I don’t necessarily think one way is better than the other, though I do believe that as you grow in your journey, you’ll be less inclined to share. But I am really curious to see how my little experiment plays out and whether this different energy leads to different results. (If you’re interested in why this works, check out this TED talk by Derek Sivers on why you should keep your goals to yourself.)
Of course, once I have some data, I’ll come back and share what I learn.
What do you think? Are you a goal-sharer or do you prefer to keep yours close to heart? I’d love to know.
Cheers,
Natasha