For now, I am going to walk through problems people have that make setting and achieving goals so difficult.

1. Unreasonable

Here is the problem: Oftentimes, people simply set unreasonable goals or are even given unreasonable goals by their boss. However, your goal is only unreasonable if you fail to put a plan behind it.

If you are not willing to take the time then yes, it is completely unreasonable.

The unreasonable becomes reasonable when you have a plan.

2. No Commitment

The issue may be that you simply do not make a commitment to it.

You set your goals at the beginning of the year or quarter and you do not look at them again until the end of the year. You may think, “I have not achieved my goals up to this point, so I am not even going to worry about it.”

No big deal? No commitment.

If there is no commitment, it is no wonder you are not achieving your goals. Once again, it comes back to having a plan.

3. Failure to Believe

Do not catch yourself thinking, “That goal is so far out there, I just cannot believe I can achieve it.”

Look at the mark of a champion, or various professional athletes — they do not go into any kind of contest without expecting to win. They simply do not have failure in their DNA.

It comes down to the fact they simply believe they can achieve what they set out to do.

If you do not believe in it, why would you ever achieve it? Put a plan behind it and visualize.

4. Review and Plan

You need to review and plan regularly. Something I have found and talk about in my book, A Mind for Sales, is that goal-driven, top-performing individuals review their goals weekly, even daily.

They are continuously assessing what they have to do each and every day. They are continuously reviving the plan.

Goal-driven people focus their time on achieving their goals. If a certain use of their time is not achieving their goals, they do not want to do it.

5. Time Concerns

Top-performing people always know and understand how much time they have and how they will use it. It does not mean they are caught up in thinking, “I have so much extra time on my hands.” No, they know when they have to put the pedal to the metal and make it happen when they are behind.

They understand time and they value it. They also do not allow time to get away from them.

Why? They literally block their calendar. I do this with my own calendar; I block out every hour of the day with each activity I have planned.

These activities have to be one of two things: revenue producing or helping me achieve my goals.

Be focused and be time concerned.

6. Lack of a Role Model

If you have never been around successful people, it is very difficult for you to be successful.

Have you ever noticed how certain sports teams just happen to do exceptionally well? It is usually because they have a role model on the team who drives them to a higher level of success.

Who is your role model? Who is the role model you look up to that you mimic, copy, and aspire to be?

7. Accountability

Who are you accountable to in your goals?

In A Mind for Sales, I discuss in detail the importance of having a mastermind group. I personally have a mastermind group that I talk about frequently.

This group consists of three other individuals and we all hold each other accountable in everything we do. It allows me to know that somebody is watching me, and I am watching them.

What does this do? When I am falling down, they help pick me up and vice versa. Collectively, we help each other out.

You have to have accountability and it has to go beyond your boss. Do not think to yourself, “Well, I am accountable to my boss so that is enough.” No, you need a peer that you can be accountable to, as well.

8. Poor Focus

The problem is you simply are not focused on your goal. Earlier, I made the comment that everything you do needs to be focused on activities that are either revenue producing or helping you achieve your goals.

Poor focus is when you are just busy, not productive.

You might be busy doing a lot of “stuff,” but it is not driving you towards your goals. You have to be mindful of clearing out all the “stuff.”

9. Small Steps

You do not just wake up one morning and boom — you’re incredibly successful. It is all in the small steps.

It is like joining a gym to lose weight and get in shape. You might go six or seven times and think, “Well, I am just not in shape and losing weight yet, so I am just done going.” You have to go every day on a regular schedule for months and then, those small steps become big successes.

You achieve your goals through small steps, one at a time.

10. Attitude

Your attitude is going to drive more than anything else when it comes to your ability to be successful.

Give me somebody with a great attitude and they will find a way to get it done.

When you have the right attitude, you have the right motivation.

When you have the right motivation, you have the right energy level.

When you have the right energy level, it is amazing what you can get done.

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