What's your public declaration?
Posted
Nov 16 2007, 03:26 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
A new meme has spread through the personal-finance world, asking bloggers to complete this sentence: "I commit publicly to ...." You fill in the blank with a private goal you're now willing to declare to the world, creating more than a bit of pressure to make good on the commitment. Blogger AskDong said he understands the importance of public declarations: "I remember back in middle school I would tell my friends who I planned on asking to dance, so I couldn't just chicken out and not ask that person."
Some bloggers pledged to spend less or save more, but several had other goals. SF Money Musings shared a secret that only her sister had known: She has struggled most of her life with binge eating and publicly promised to stop it. Million Dollar Journey committed to becoming more handy around the house. Canadian Dream: Free at 45 plans to develop a good filing system and "discuss all of this with my wife so the entire project doesn't fail." Quest for Four Pillars promised to lose weight by exercising and drinking less beer. (Brip blap, who started the meme, advised bloggers to respond in any way they wanted, even "I will stop watching 'American Idol.'" That's a goal we think we could embrace.)
