In my previous post, I shared the exact strategy for sifting prospects and identifying the buyers. To start the New Year off on a positive note, I want to expand on this idea of achieving success, this time as it relates to the time-honored tradition of the New Year’s resolution.
Nearly 1 in 2 Americans will resolve to make some kind of positive change in their life once the clock strikes midnight. And losing weight seems to have a perpetual hold on the number one spot year after year. Those who own or manage weight loss or bodybuilding businesses will tell you flat out that half the people who sign up on January 2 won’t be around by the end of the month. In fact, only about 1 in 12 people who make any kind of New Year’s resolution will see it through to the end.
By the way, getting your life organized is the number 2 most popular resolution. And pretty much every resolution is related in some way to self-improvement, whether it be physical, mental, social, spiritual or financial. Coming in at number 3 is having more money.
So if a lot of people sincerely want to improve their lives, why do so many fail to achieve their goals? And if you’ve failed to make it to the finish line in the past, what can you do right now to better your chance of success?
Here are a few tips taken right out of the pages of the Straight Line Persuasion System workbook to help you stay on your straight line and achieve whatever goals you set for 2016.
Don’t rely on a date: part 1
Why is January 1 significant to so many resolution makers? Aside from the fact that it’s the first day of a new year, there’s social proof. It’s easier to perform any action when you know you’re not the only one doing it. But if you rely on this ‘herd mentality’ it’s just evidence you’re not ready for a change just yet. You might be thinking you can’t do it on your own, so you wait for the appropriate date to be pulled in by the herd rushing by. Here’s the problem: It takes only a couple of weeks before you realize you are alone and what little motivation you had is quickly fading away. Not a good course of action.
Don’t rely on a date: part 2
Scheduling a future date to make a major change in your life is like rushing toward the edge of a cliff wearing makeshift wings. Half your energy is consumed by psyching yourself up for the big jump off the cliff and the other half is consumed by the hope you can flap those wings hard enough to stay airborne. That won’t work either.
As you’ll soon see, the date is not important at all. What is important is that you’re mentally and emotionally prepared to make the change.
Feel the pain
Practitioners of the Straight Line Persuasion System know that every prospect has a specific pain threshold — that point when he or she feels pain sufficient enough to make change possible. People who want to ‘buy now’ have reached their pain threshold, while those who are ‘just looking’ need to feel more pain to arrive at a buying decision.
Don’t look back: part 1
The same is true of people who want to make a positive change in their life for 2016. If they don’t feel enough pain, they’re just not ready to make a lasting change.
A lot of people see Day One as the start point to which every day that follows is compared. So they look back and say something like, “I’ve gone two days; I can’t stop now. I’ve gone two weeks; I can’t stop now.”
But looking back can be a burden that grows with time because you’re always focusing on the work you’ve put into the journey. There’s a better way to achieve your success. Keep reading.
Don’t look back: part 2
If you’ve failed to follow through on a particular resolution in the past, there’s a tendency to recall that failure as you go through the same struggle all over again. It becomes easier and easier to rationalize why you should give up again. This is all a part of the limiting beliefs we all have and they will continue to hold you back, until you replace them with empowering beliefs.
Look forward
Instead of reminding yourself about how far you’ve come, or how hard your journey has been, focus on what’s ahead. Why? Because that’s where you’ll find your reward. If you’re always looking in the rear view mirror, you’re likely to crash before you reach your destination.
Have a vision
You’ll need something to look forward to and it must be a clear and detailed picture of what you want to achieve. I know everyone talks about setting goals for New Year’s resolutions, but be careful here. A goal is not your final outcome. Use goals to enable yourself to achieve your ultimate objective. Think of goals as stepping stones to your vision. It’s your vision that will help you achieve your dreams by igniting the fires of passion within you. The more clear and detailed your vision is, the more passion you’ll generate. This is important because it’s passion that will help you overcome any obstacles you may encounter along the way.
Have a great ‘why’
I’ve mentioned the importance of your why quite often in my messages to you and for good reason. It’s absolutely crucial to your success. Your why is your reason for wanting that success you dream of. And quite often it’s better to let others in your life be your why rather than you being the why. It’s much more difficult to give up when your desire is to please someone else, especially the one you love the most.
Be bold
This might be your toughest challenge, but boldness will also deliver the greatest reward.
Too often we set average goals for ourselves and when we achieve them we’re left asking, “Is that all there is?”
So go ahead and set lofty goals for yourself. If you reach them you’ll achieve your vision, but even if you miss, you’ll achieve far more than if you had set lesser goals.
– Jordan Belfot
