Setting a goal is one thing that’s relatively easy to do. The harder part comes in when it’s time to take action and reach your goals. Many people lack the willpower to do this and give up way too early. Are you that type of person or would you say you have sticking power?

Sticking power boils down to motivation, determination and drive. While numerous people assume that you need to have a certain strength to demonstrate these qualities, that isn’t true.  While not everyone has these qualities born in them, they can be developed if you put your mind to it.

Having the willingness to learn how to develop these skills is going to have a huge impact on how successful you’ll be with your goals. So before determining what your goal is, think about how determined you are to reach it. Is your goal powerful enough for you to overcome obstacles?

If you answered yes to that question, you’re a huge step ahead of many other people. To learn how to become more determined and focused, you want to start thinking in a more positive way. Using motivational quotes can be a big help in this department.

You have to start believing in yourself in order to reach your potential. By using positive reinforcements, you’ll start to believe what you’re telling yourself each day. Honestly, if you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you?

Using visualizations is another great way of developing your mindset and your self-confidence. For example, if you want to lose 100 pounds then start visualizing how you’re going to look in that new dress or that pair of jeans. Once you can “see” how you’re going to look and feel, your motivation will remain high.

The minute you let self-doubt creep into your mind, you’re traveling the road to derailing yourself. When you think that something isn’t possible, a shield goes over your eyes and you can’t see the right path anymore.

In order to win at goal setting, you need to begin with an open mind. Set yourself mini-goals that you need to reach in-between. This way you’re building stepping stones to your success. With each stepping stone, your main goal becomes closer and your energy and determination is renewed.

Using stepping stones is another way to figure out how to reach your goal. Let’s use our 100 pound goal as an example. This is a huge amount of weight to lose and if you always focus on that larger number you will face many obstacles along the way. These are the kind that could be detrimental to your success.

Your best plan of action is to break down your 100 pound goal into smaller stepping stones. Say 10 stepping stones with each one representing 10 pounds. Break this down again even further by figuring out actionable steps to shed those 10 pounds.

These actionable steps could include exercising for 15 minutes a day, eating at least one vegetable at lunch and dinner. Or it could be to just move more often and get up at each commercial break on the TV and walk around.

Whenever you perform one of these steps, understand that you’re doing something towards your end goal. In time, all of these small actions will build upon each other and they will help you reach your goal.

Remember that some goals are huge and may take longer than one year to accomplish. There’s nothing wrong with allowing yourself more time as long as you’re working diligently towards it.