Resolutions and Goals have a 92% Failure Rate. Three Principles to change the odds!
Only 8% of you will keep your New Years resolution. That means 92% of you will fail. If you consider that a resolution is just a goal you set for yourself, a failure rate of 92% should be alarming. The research for most goals people set follow the same abysmal 8% success rate.
In business, sales, leadership and life, goal setting is a huge component of success, but if only 8% actually achieve their goals, how do get anything accomplished?
If you want to achieve your resolutions, or any other goal, there is hope, but it might not be what you think.
Sales is a mentally tough job, so that’s where I start. According to Salesforce, about 50% of sales professionals meet or exceed their annual quota. That is a far better result than the 8% that hit their goals, but still leaves plenty of room for growth.
When I train and coach sales people and leaders, I start with a few basic principles to lead them to the “sweet spot”. The “sweet spot” is the confluence of the three principles, that when applied correctly, create a mentally tough professional with a good understanding of themselves and their prospects.
The three key principles:
1. Who you are vs. What you do:
Try this, meet a new person and ask “Tell me about yourself?’ The majority of respondents will start with their profession, and will likley go on to tell you all about what they do, If you, or your team are drawing your “who you are” from the successes and failures of “what you do”, what happens to your mental state when you suffer a big loss, or have a miss? What about when you have a big win, or success. Do you understand where your self image can begin to feel like a yo-yo? Once you internalize this principle, you can hyperfocus on “what you do” without impacting “who you are”. This creates a steady and predictable approach to whatever you choose to do in life, sales, or otherwise.
2. Beliefs and Actions:
Every action (or inaction) we take comes from a belief within our mind, but we rarely question why we believe what we believe, and don’t often take the time to understand why we are taking a particular action. Once you understand how your beliefs impact your actions, specifically the self-limiting beliefs, you can escape the negative spiraling effect that unchecked beliefs can cause. Have you ever noticed some people always seem to be taking the right action, seem to have unlimited positivity and are living life very intentionally?
3. Ownership, control and influence.
Are you happening to life, or is life happening to you? Understanding what you own, what you can control and what you can influence brings real clarity to what is possible. Most people shy away from “owning” most things in business. There is often an external “out of my control” reason something didn’t work. Consider this, instead of distancing from ownership, run straight towards it. I suggest, if you “own” it you can determine how to take control and influence it. If it’s not your problem, how the heck can you do anything about it? OWN EVERYTHING practical.
Imagine having a personal command of these principles. What would be possible? Do you think you would have a better than 8% chance of success of crushing any resolution, goal, or any other thing you set your mind to?
Live life with intention!
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