So, pretty much everyone knows that guy who, on new years eve, proclaims to all his friends his ambitious plans to "go to the gym everyday" or "wake up at 7am every morning" for the whole year.

They go and buy new workout clothes, install habit-tracking apps, and are elated by the prospect of becoming that awesome person they've always wanted to be. They're so excited about it it's as if they actually, you know, did something. But before a single day is completed, they'll bombard you with incessant monologues about all the benefits they're going to experience, and how life-changing it's going to be, but you almost can't help but roll your eyes because you know they're just talking about it, not actually doing it. Maybe you’re this person.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years, is that nobody cares about what you say you're going to do, and you shouldn't either. No matter how much you flap your jaw, nothing moves. Having ambition isn't special. Whatever your goal in life is, there are at likely millions other people with that exact same goal — unless you have a really weird goal like performing a puppet show on top of everest, when at least 3 people in your audience are Montreal Canadiens season tickets holders. But whatever the case is, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this: but having ambition isn't impressive to anyone, in any way, and never has been, and never will be.

Here’s a radical idea: Climb a mountain, tell no one.

Instead of humble-bragging to your roommate about how you're going to "start taking the gym more seriously" or "start eating clean from now on" try giving your tongue a little rest and actually get a few days, weeks, or even months under your belt. Learn to embrace the process of pushing yourself and achieving things when nobody is watching. Because after all, who are you doing this for anyways?

Do you genuinely want to build a company, or do you just crave the patronizing "oh that's cool man, good for you" that you get for mentioning it? 

There are only four types of people in this world:

• #1: Those who talk the talk, and walk the walk (annoying: that jacked guy at the gym who, in social settings, talks about how he just hit chest really hard and is really sore — but is making some good gains though)

• #2: Those who talk the talk, and don’t walk the walk  (the majority of preppy university students: yeah so I tried out drop shipping for a while and made some mad bank but I didn’t really jive with it but now I’m writing this ebook on digital marketing and it’s gonna be an amazon best seller)

• #3: Those who don’t talk the talk, and don’t walk the walk: basically half the people you went to high school who never really had any ambition to begin with.

• #4: Those who don’t talk the talk, but walk the walk — everyone should aim to be like this guy. The coolest people on planet earth are this guy. This guy is that guy who is absolutely ripped, but doesn’t talk about it. The guy who drives an insanely nice car, but few people know what he does for a living — he’s just a really kind, humble person. His lifestyle is proof of his rigorous discipline, hard work, patience — so he knows he doesn’t need to flaunt it. People can already see it.

It’s a cliche, but actions really do speak louder than words. Talking about your goals isn’t helpful if you don’t plan on doing it — unless it’s with an intimate accountability partner or group that you actually take seriously. Otherwise, you’re just seeking validation for something you haven’t even done.

Here's a challenge: Go achieve something you've always wanted to achieve. Something you've been putting off for a long time, and something that would dramatically improve your life. And when you're done, don't tell a soul.