Audit why you are pursuing each goal
Check whether each goal is driven by interest and values or by guilt and external pressure.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Check whether each goal is driven by interest and values or by guilt and external pressure.
- Why it works: Sheldon drew on self-determination theory to classify motivation along a spectrum from "external" (doing it for reward or to avoid punishment) through "introjected" (doing it to avoid guilt or shame) to "identified" and "intrinsic" (doing it because it genuinely matters or interests you). Only the latter two are self-concordant, and the research shows they predict sustained effort and goal attainment over and above how much effort a person initially reports intending to invest.
- Evidence: Backed by observational / correlational evidence.
- Avoid: Confusing intensity of wanting ("I really want to be thinner") with self-concordance — a goal can feel urgent and still be driven by shame rather than genuine values.
Why it works
Sheldon drew on self-determination theory to classify motivation along a spectrum from "external" (doing it for reward or to avoid punishment) through "introjected" (doing it to avoid guilt or shame) to "identified" and "intrinsic" (doing it because it genuinely matters or interests you). Only the latter two are self-concordant, and the research shows they predict sustained effort and goal attainment over and above how much effort a person initially reports intending to invest.
How to do it
- 1List your current active goals.
- 2For each, answer honestly: "Am I doing this because I want to, because I feel I should, or because someone else expects it?"
- 3Flag any goal where the honest answer is guilt, fear, or external expectation.
- 4Decide for each flagged goal: revise, drop, or consciously internalize it by connecting it to a value you actually hold.
What the evidence says
ObservationalSheldon and Houser-Marko (2001) found that self-concordant goal pursuit predicted need satisfaction and well-being over a semester, even after controlling for initial effort. The effect held across multiple goal domains.
Honest caveat: Most studies are self-report and short-term; whether self-concordance is stable or can shift with reframing is an open question. Effect sizes are modest.
- — Sheldon & Houser-Marko (2001), self-concordance, goal attainment, and the pursuit of happiness, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Common mistake
Confusing intensity of wanting ("I really want to be thinner") with self-concordance — a goal can feel urgent and still be driven by shame rather than genuine values.
IX Coach walks you through a motivation-type audit for each goal and flags the ones where the driver is external or introjected, before you spend effort chasing them.
Practice this with IX Coach →