Let's go through each of these five reasons, one by one.

1. Posting your goals helps you be continuously aware of them.

If you always have your goals staring you in the face, whether you put them over the sink so that you see them when you are washing dishes, on top of your computer so that you see them as you work, or on your bedroom or bathroom mirror so that you read over your goals while you are brushing your teeth in the morning and before bed, you won't be able to forget them.

Having your goals in front of you and always being aware of them can also help you keep a broader perspective on life. Remember what you are working towards, no matter what your goals are, helps you remember why you are doing what you are doing. It's easy to get so caught up in the drudgery of daily life, going to work, the daily exercise routine, or whatever, that it's pretty simple to forget why we are counting those calories, saving that $100, or working on improving sales at work.

2. Out of sight, out of mind.

This reason goes with the above, a little bit. If you don't have your goals in front of you, it's pretty easy and, let's face it, pretty convenient to forget those goals. How many times have we just become so lackadaisical in our motivation that after a while we slide back into the old schedule or way of life without even noticing? Sure we might feel a twinge of guilt once in a while, but that's easily overcome.

Posting your goals means that you can't ignore them and let them slide into oblivion any more. It means that you will always be face to face with your goals, which can actually be a great motivation to continuously working towards them.

3. Posting goals means that others see them, also.

If you post your goals in places where other people can see them, this means that other people are aware of what you are working towards. This knowledge can actually be a great motivator. Let's face it: we care about what other people think about us. Knowing that other people know that we are working to lose a certain amount of weight is a great motivator to help us lose that weight.

Letting other people know about our goals can also have a more positive effect than simply worrying about what other people think. If other people know what your goals are, they can encourage you as you work to achieve them. It's important to have support in order to motivate you as you work towards your goals.

4. Publicizing goals makes them more real.

You can think about goals all you want. But the moment that you write those goals down and then you put them up in a place where you can always see them, they've just become real and concrete goals. They are something that you are going to work towards. There's no escaping them now.

5. Guilt can be a great motivator.

Guilt might not be the most positive motivator in the world, but it is a pretty good one. If you post your goals, then you can't escape them. You'd feel pretty guilty taking them down and throwing them away. That constant reminder of what you'd really like to be doing can help you start and keep doing it.