The fitness realm is often treated like a modern-day Colosseum where public commitment can make you a hero or a laughingstock. Social platforms, like Instagram, act as the arena where commitments become magnified. On the surface, posting your fitness journey for the world to see might look like just another contemporary vanity project. However, in the landscape of behavioral change, it becomes a powerful tool for accountability.

It’s tempting to mock or belittle these displays—perhaps a defensive mechanism to shield us from facing our own fears or inadequacies. Indeed, a reluctance to be ‘on the hook’ often emanates from an underlying fear of judgment or failure. This is no different from an actor suffering stage fright; the audience brings a weight of expectation that can either crush you or galvanize your performance.

Yet, the irony is palpable. The very act of public commitment that invites ridicule also demands respect. Like an entrepreneur staking their own capital in a venture, the risk itself commands a certain level of seriousness. It forces a reconfiguration of priorities and actions in alignment with the declared objective, essentially transforming the “virtual” into “actual.”

Imagine for a moment that each post is like a piece in a mosaic. Individually, they may appear trivial or even self-indulgent. Yet, when assembled together, they form a narrative of change, progress, and dare I say, courage.

So, the question isn’t so much about whether making your goals public is vain or valiant. It’s about whether this act serves as a catalyst for genuine change in your life. If the answer is affirmative, then the background noise of judgment fades into irrelevance, eclipsed by the transformative power of accountability and action.


Read more at: Are you on the hook?

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