Recommitment and who we should tell
Here we are: September. A new month, a new season. The kids are going back to school, and summer is unofficially over. We’ve got one last quarter before the year is done.
Personally, I’ve learned to love this time of year because it feels like a fresh start (formerly at the top of a newly iced bobsled track - get it?). Kind of like New Year’s, Part Two.
I have a simple ritual I do this time of year (but really, this can work for you any time). It gives me a bit of a reset and helps me feel more confident and motivated for the months ahead.
Want to join me? ;) Here’s how it works.
First, I pick a thing I want to do. Usually it’s something I’ve been procrastinating on. It could be related to anything: work, health, athletic goals, mindset, relationships, you name it. But whatever it is, it’s something that’s going to be good for me and the people around me. It’s going to make me better.
So I pick one thing. Then, I recommit to DOING IT.
Simple, right? But it works.
I find this ritual has a few really powerful benefits to it.
Obviously, committing to a specific goal means we’re more likely to accomplish it. So there’s that.
Beyond that, I find that committing gives me a sense of confidence. There’s a mindset shift that takes place when you set a commitment. Our brains shift from thinking “I should really get around to that” to “I’m DOING this — I’m all in.”
Commitment is one of the five key principles of Edwin Locke’s simple yet comprehensive 1968 goal-setting theory that, generally, still stands the test of time today. Want to learn more? Here’s a true deep dive into the psychology of goal setting on PositivePsychology.com, “The Science & Psychology Of Goal-Setting 101”. You can find Locke’s theory in that article by just clicking here.
You may have learned that telling somebody else about your goal is a smart strategy to help you achieve it. Word to the wise, though - be careful to who you tell your goals. Research tells us that it can be a double-edged sword. Announce your new goal on Facebook and get lost in all of the congrats from random “friends” about your new ambitious goal, and you risk tricking your brain into getting a sense of satisfaction that may undermine your pursuit of the goal.
So who should you tell? Well this gets down to some evidence-based practices we use at Classroom Champions. September is goal setting month across the thousands of schools we support. A big part of it is teaching kids to set short and long-term goals - and then tell a trusted adult and their athlete mentor.
Some of the latest research that backs up this approach for kids and us adults was published in 2019 in the Journal of Applied Psychology out of Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business:
“In a new set of studies, researchers found that people showed greater goal commitment and performance when they told their goal to someone they believed had higher status than themselves. It didn't help people at all to tell their goals to someone they thought had lower status, or to keep their objectives to themselves.”
Whether or not you tell anyone else about your goal, committing to something can feel really good. It's especially useful at times of change because it can help provide some upward momentum.
I've experienced this firsthand at different stages of my life.
The first way this concept became ingrained in me was through annual training cycles. In sport, there’s a point each year when you take an extended break for a week or more. Inevitably when you pick training back up again, it sucks. You have soreness. Your body and mind have to readjust. So you have no choice but to recommit: to set your intentions and attack your goal with purpose.
The second way I learned/reinforced this is climbing out of any mental health issues that surface. Finding something, anything, to feel good about is often step one out of any hole - be it clinical depression, feeling down, feeling anxious or just feeling lazy.
A funny thing happens when you practice recommitting-and-executing over and over again. Like anything else, you get better at it.
And that in itself, is pretty awesome.
— Steve
