More Than Just a Resolution
Psychologist Steven C. Hayes conducted an experiment with college students. Students in Group A were asked to publicly declare the test score they wanted to achieve to the people around them. Students in Group B were asked to make the same resolution only in their hearts. Group C was given no instructions about the exam. Afterward, the test scores of the three groups were analyzed. The results showed that Group B, like Group C, experienced almost no change in their scores. In Group A, however, most of the students achieved scores close to their goals.
The phenomenon in which a thought or goal becomes more likely to be achieved when it is spoken to others is called the “public commitment effect.” When a goal is made public, a sense of responsibility to accomplish it develops, and support and encouragement from others may follow, making the goal much easier to achieve. However ambitious a goal may be, if it remains only in the heart, it is easy to fall into the trap of short-lived enthusiasm. After all, when faced with the temptation to give up, a person can simply compromise with their weakened self.
If you do not want your resolution to remain just a resolution, borrow the power of declaration. The moment you declare it, a resolution that once had no tangible form becomes a road you must travel, unfolding clearly before your eyes.
