"Self-control is the ability to guide your actions in
pursuit of a goal - to persevere and stay on course, despite temptations,
distractions and the demands of competing goals."
"Think back to the achievements in your own life - the
ones you are most proud of. I'll bet you needed to work hard, persist
despite difficulty, and stay focused, when it would have been much easier
for you to just relax and not bother."
"People who are very successful in one or more areas of
their life are successful precisely because that's where they devote the
bulk of their capacity for self-control."
"Set yourself difficult goals and your performance will
rise to the challenge."
"When people think about what they are doing in why terms,
they are guided by the big picture, their smaller, and everyday actions
become a part of something larger and more important."
"So thinking about your goal with a 'what' mind-set leads
you to focus on the specific action you need to take, which helps you to
act more quickly in achieving your goal."
"So the world loves an optimist and the good news is that
optimism comes pretty naturally to most of us."
"Believing you will succeed really does make you more
likely to succeed."
"No matter who they are and what they are trying to do,
we find that successful people not only have confidence that they will
eventually succeed, but are equally confident that they will have a tough
time getting there."
"If you don't believe you'll succeed, mental contrasting
will lead you to disengage from the goal."
"Achieving isn't just about knowing how to reach your
goals - it's at least as much about pursuing the kinds of goals that will
help you to develop your full potential and actually enjoy the process
of getting there."
"It won't surprise you to learn that your beliefs are
important influences on the goals you adopt."
"Interestingly, it's not just whether or not you think
you have ability that matters. In fact, what seems to be most important
is whether or not you think you can get ability."
"Mistakes don't mean you are stupid, they are full of
information that can help you to learn."
"Consequently, we work best when as much of what we are
doing can be delegated to the unconscious mind as possible."
"To keep yourself motivated, fill your environment with
reminders and triggers that will keep your unconcious mind working toward
your goal, even when your conscious mind is distracted by other things."
"That people tend to do well when they believe they are going to do well."
Written by Heidi Grant Halvorson
Succeed
How We Can Reach Our Goals
