12 Steps to Achieve your Goals

1st. Burning Desire

If the goal is worthy of you, it will cost you mistakes, time, and effort, and you must have a strong desire to continue despite everything. It's said that once a disciple of Socrates asked him, "How can I gain more knowledge?" Socrates asked him to accompany him, and they walked to the sea. Once they entered the sea, Socrates submerged him, and the disciple started struggling to come out because he was drowning. After a few seconds, once he emerged, Socrates asked him, "When you were in the water, what did you desire the most?" He replied, "I wanted to breathe, I wanted air." Socrates told him, "To gain the knowledge you desire, you must want it as much as you wanted air under the water." That's how it is with goals; once you have clarity about what you want, you must desire it as much as air under the water.

2nd. Conviction

Your external world is a reflection of your internal world. It's important to be careful with your thoughts. This point refers to establishing belief in the goal, and for this, the goal must be achievable. If you set a goal that is too high, your subconscious mind will reject it because it seems highly unlikely to achieve. That's why you should set achievable goals. If your goal or objective is too big, halve it, and then halve it again until your goal becomes simpler, and you face fewer obstacles to procrastinate. For example, instead of thinking of running 3 kilometers daily, think about running for 10 minutes and then increasing the time each week.

3rd. Write Your Goals

Only 3% of people write their goals, and it's worth asking, why? Because as a natural reflex, we flee from commitment, and this reinforces our old and familiar enemy: the fear of failure. We don't write goals because we don't want to commit. Not writing your goals is a way of deceiving yourself; by not setting them down, there's no fear of failure because you didn't make any commitment. However, this way, you will never progress. When you write your goal, it becomes concrete in your mind, and you must imagine your goal in detail and as something already completed. The subconscious mind doesn't distinguish between real and imaginary, so if you can visualize it as clearly and specifically as possible, your subconscious will accept it as real, and all your resources will be focused on that goal.

4th. Clarify the Importance - Why Do You Want It?

Ask yourself, why do you want that goal? Create a list of reasons why achieving that goal is important to you. What results will you achieve by completing that goal? How will you feel? How will you see yourself? Once you reflect on this, list the reasons why you want your goals; the more reasons you have, the stronger the desire will be. Sometimes, the reasons why are more important than the goal itself; the reasons fuel the fire of achievement.

5th. Analyze Your Current Position

What is your starting point? In other words, what are your current skills, your current means to achieve what you want? Do you need to make significant changes in your habits? Remember, to know the cost of achieving what you want, you must know where you are presently, and ask yourself: with the means, knowledge, and skills I have today, can I achieve this goal?

6th. Set a Limit for Each Task that Brings You Closer to Your Goal

Human motivation is based on the achievements we reach. It's essential to set clear limits for each task we commit to. We have to reward ourselves every certain time when we complete a task. For example, after every 3 client calls, take a treat or rest for 5 minutes. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you see it as a reward. It's a mental game.

7th. Identify the Obstacles

Once you clearly identify your goal, the second thing you must do is identify the most important obstacle that prevents you from reaching this goal. Once you do this, focus on attacking that obstacle because if you don't, you'll never progress toward your goal. For example, one obstacle could be your lack of self-discipline and organization, or it could be knowledge about a specific subject. Focus on learning about that subject because it's your primary obstacle. The obstacle is like a large rock blocking your path to the goal; until you break it down, bit by bit, you won't achieve tangible results.

8th. Identify the Knowledge You Need

We live in a knowledge-based society, and whatever goal you want to achieve, you'll need knowledge to get there. Reflect on this: you have reached where your knowledge has allowed you to. That's why self-development habits are so crucial. You have to obtain the knowledge you need, even if it means paying for it. If you want to succeed in your business, your main knowledge is knowing how to sell. Once identified, seek out that knowledge you need, and if necessary, pay for it, as this could be your rock, your primary obstacle. If necessary, ask those who have already achieved what you seek, present your idea to experts for critique, and help finding the gaps in your project, to increase its chances of success.

9th. Identify and Question Who Your Customer Is

Identifying the people, groups, and organizations you need for success is key because we all depend on others to achieve our goals, and everyone has a customer to satisfy. Whatever we do, that work or project will always benefit someone else. If you start a business, your customer is the one who buys your products or services. If you work in a company, your customer could be your boss or other areas or departments that rely on your work, etc. The law of compensation says, "As you do good things for others, others will do good things for you." The law of overcompensation says, "Always give more than is asked of you," this will put you in an advantageous position with your customer.

10th. Make a Plan and Learn to Be Productive

All successful men and women are success planners and know how to manage their lives. A plan is a list of activities that we must organize and distinguish between key tasks and distractions. Organize this plan in a list classified in terms of priority and time. Once done, start the day with 3 or 4 key activities, and instead of thinking about doing 10 things at once, think about doing 3 or 4 key tasks 10 times better. Focus your energy on what's worthwhile; the key tasks are what make you a better professional.

11th. Visualization

This is a crucial element in achieving your goal. Athletes use it a lot to achieve their goal; they imagine themselves executing the exercise perfectly before starting. Similarly, you should visualize your goal as if it were already achieved. There are many methods for this, such as NLP. How to do it? You must place that image on the screen of your mind until you see it clearly, and then repeat this thought as many times as necessary. Think of your goal as a reality; repeat it until it becomes a mental anchor, and every day, do something to get closer to your goal.

12th. Support Your Plan with Determination and Persistence

In the final analysis, the key to your success is your ability to endure more than anyone else. This quality is necessary