1. Set wildly important goals. Setting average goals yields average results. Vague goals lead to vague results. Your goals should be specific, time-sensitive, and something you are passionate about. It’s often been said that the difference between a dream and goal is a deadline.
2. Step out of your comfort zone. Doing something you don’t want to, but that will lead to success, takes discipline. Persevering through a task when you’re not in mood is a healthy way to establish a new habit.
3. Develop a pattern of consistency. Whether it is reading a trade magazine or reviewing social media sites pertaining to your goal with your morning coffee, come up with new routines that will contribute to your success and increase your knowledge.
4. Work backwards. Visualize success and what it will take to get there. Track your milestones. Many people give up because they cannot measure how far they have come. Set benchmarks to aid your perspective, keep you focused, and celebrate your momentum. Determine what is working and what is not, so you can make adjustments and adapt.
5. Burn the boats. Don’t create back-up plans (sometimes known as back-out plans), they are excuses not reach your goals. When the Greeks landed on the shores of Troy, they burned their boats. This told the soldiers that they will either win or die trying; the only way home was to succeed.
6. Work hard. There is no such thing as an overnight success, short-cuts, or magic bullets. Work harder than you ever have before, stretch yourself and end each day with the feeling that you left it all out on the field. If you feel like you could have done more—do it.
7. Avoid conventional wisdom. Don’t listen to what others have said can and can’t be done. Seek advice from experts, learn from their mistakes, but don’t let it shape your timeline for success. These are your goals, not theirs.
8. Always be selling. The ability to sell is the foundation of success: knowing how to negotiate, maintain confidence in the face of rejection, communicate effectively with a variety of people, and build long-term relationships will always serve you well in achieving your goals. Selling is not about manipulation it is about transferring your passion. If you believe in something you won’t need to twist any arms, just talk about it with genuine enthusiasm.
9. Be humble and accountable. Know that you will make mistakes. If you are boldly pursuing your goals you may need to apologize once in a while. And chances are that at some point you will likely have to ask for help.
10. Embrace risk. The bigger the dream, the more aggressive the goal, the greater the chance you will fail. Accepting risk as a motivational habit will give you the greatest chance at success.
