Here’s an interesting static. Science says 92 percent of people Don’t achieve their goals. Only 8% of people do. What’s the difference, focus!
Hard to believe, but true that a staggering 92 percent of people never achieve their goals; this is according to the research done by the University of Scranton. We know this does not apply to any of the 3 Word podcasters. Laughing! Many of us set New Years’ eve goals, stop and think about what you set out for yourself this year. The goals and visions you designed this year. Sadly, many of us may have forgotten about the goals we set.
It is my vision for all of us to get back on track and follow the following five recommendations so you can be achieving vs. dreaming!
- See the future. We need to pretend we see the future and stop looking backward. We can learn from our past experiences. But we need to stop focusing our time there. I want you to pretend and visualize it a year from now. What does your life look like? Pause the podcast and write down what you see and what you need. What would make this year the best year of your life? Is better health, more fulfilling relationships, more success at work, becoming a better leader while impacting other’s lives?
- Start saying no. You have to remove the distractions in your life. Start saying no to people and things that are stealing time from you. Pause the podcast, write down what may be taking time away from you, achieving your goals. Each day remind yourself that you have discovered an extra hour or two to be working on your vision. In sales, we need to start saying no to the clients wasting our time. We all have them, and they want to sit and talk and never move forward with our ideas. How about investing your time with 20% of your clients doing business with you. Saying no is not easy. This may be very hard for many of you. So lets practice together and say no. If you find it challenging to say no, then perhaps saying you have already made other commitments, and for now, I have to say no.
- Feel it. That is what 8 percent of goal-setters who succeed do. They want it, and they feel it. So ask yourself: What is my level of commitment? Are you focused on reaching your goal? When obstacles pop up along the way, do you run and find a way around the obstacle in your way? The 8 percent have an internal compass that keeps them locked in until they reach the top of the mountain. It’s a belief system of “do whatever it takes” that is intrinsically motivated at their core.
- Write it down and be specific. When you write down your goals so they are visible, writing them down in a journal, your screen saver on your phone or computer, you see where you need to focus. The second component is creating concrete action steps you will take. If you are vague about your goals, you will miss the opportunity. I use a system called commitment to me. I create a framework and write down what I want to accomplish over the year, and I break it down. I ask myself the following questions: What are you going to achieve in the next 15 minutes, and I write it down. Then I follow the same process for the next hour, next 24 hours, next 7 days, next 14 days and the next 30 days and next year. All action steps with a focus each day to becoming one of the 8%.
- Avoid Multitasking. The most successful people are very patient and take it “one step at a time.” They also avoid juggling too many things. Do you think multitasking is still a good strategy for success? You end up splitting your focus over many tasks, losing focus, lowering the quality of your work, and taking longer to hit your goals.
The 8 percent are smart enough to work on several smaller chunks to complete a big goal. But they do it by knocking one down then moving on to the next one. You will create more momentum if you stay focused on completing each project.