In the past, I’ve talked about the power of persistence and what it takes to follow through on your goals. If you have the willpower and drive to pursue your goals NO MATTER WHAT, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
I’d like to take that one step further by teaching you how to develop the kind of relentless persistence — so you’re able to follow through on any goal you desire.
The good news about willpower is, it’s not some inherent skill you’re born with — it’s something you learn and develop. It’s like a muscle — exercise it regularly and it grows stronger and stronger.
So how do you flex that muscle in a way that gets results and helps you achieve your goals?
Step 1: Determine the Right Goal
My first piece of advice is to decide if you’re going after the right goal.
Is it something you really, really want? Are you pursuing a goal that’s important to you and brings joy and meaning to your life? Or is it something that other people have pressured you into pursuing?
When you focus on the goals that bring you joy and the fulfillment of your purpose, you will be far more likely to persevere and refuse to give up, no matter what obstacles appear in your path.
Step 2: Make A Non-Negotiable Follow Through Commitment
Once you are sure you’re pursuing the right goal, I urge you to make a one hundred percent commitment to it. Make it a non-negotiable priority in your life – with no exceptions.
For example, if you make a one hundred percent commitment to exercise every day for 30 minutes, no matter what, then it is settled. You simply just do it.
It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling if you have a 7:00 am television interview if it’s raining outside, if you went to bed late last night, if your schedule is full, or if you simply don’t feel like it. You just do it — because NOT doing it simply isn’t an option.
This approach actually makes life easier for you, because it frees up tons of energy that would otherwise be spent internally debating the topic over and over and over.
So once you know what you want, COMMIT to it. 100%—no exceptions.
Step 3: Break Your Goal Into Small Steps
My next piece of advice is to chunk your goal down into small achievable steps. Because most goals that are worth achieving can seem pretty overwhelming at first.
Writing a book, starting a new business, changing careers, reaching an important health goal — it can feel like there’s so much you have to learn and do.
But you know the old Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
All you have to do is take one small step after another — and if you keep on doing that, you WILL achieve your goal, GUARANTEED.
Step 4: Recognize Fear and Follow Through Anyways
Of course, some of these steps will probably require you to step out of your comfort zone. You may have to learn new skills, embrace new risks, or find yourself in unfamiliar situations – and that can be a bit of a scary thing.
So, my next piece of advice is for you to experience your fear and take action anyway. Because if you want to achieve big goals, growth is required.
When you take the risk and step into the unknown — and experience success as a result — you will be more likely to do it again, and again.
That is what will keep your motivation and drive as strong as it needs to be for you to reach your goals.
As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Jack Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre—and watched it grow to a billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the development and delivery of over 100 million books sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise, Jack Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success. Jack is America’s #1 Success Coach and wrote the life-changing book The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and Jack speaks around the world on this subject. Check out his newest book The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home. Follow Jack at www.jackcanfield.com and sign up for his free resources today!
Image courtesy of Jude Beck.
