Can You Be Absolutely Certain That You Will Achieve Your Goals?

The short answer - no.

However, would 95% certain be good enough?

In my last article, ‘Lose Weight and Get Fitter - Guaranteed’ I ended with the teaser that I would explain how to be 90% certain that you will achieve what you set out to achieve in my next article.

That wasn’t hyperbole, and was, in fact, an understatement. The actual chance of success is 95%, as reported a few years ago in a study on accountability by the American Society of Training and Development (now known as the Association for Talent Development). The aim of the study was to assess the probability of you completing a goal, and here are the findings.

The chances of success

• If you have an Idea of a goal, then you would have a 10% chance of accomplishing it.
• If you consciously Decide that you will do it, the chance rises to about 25%.
• If you decide When you will do it by, then you have a 40% chance of reaching it..
• If you plan How you will do it, your chances increase to 50%.
• If you Commit to someone that you will do it then there is a 65% probability.
• If you have a Specific Accountability Schedule with that person, who you have already made a commitment to, then your chances of success become 95%.

Therein lies the importance of having an experienced guide or mentor in your chosen field of accomplishment.

Now that all sounds fine, but how can you achieve this in practice? Finding an appropriate adviser with the level of expertise to help you isn’t necessarily easy.

Perhaps you could try to go it alone, even though your chances of success may only amount to 50%.

Let’s say, for example that you want to become fitter, and lose weight - or body fat - in the process.

• You could wait until January 1st and make a New Year’s Resolution. Good luck with that.
• You could commit to Sober October or Dry January and see how many pounds fall off during the month, and rediscover a healthier body that is reminiscent of the days before you discovered the pleasures of alcohol. Will you keep it up for good? Possibly.
• You could go on a crash diet, or one of the latest fad diets and feel better for it. Don’t you miss chocolate though? Or bacon? Or the occasional chip or two?
• You could become vegan and help save the planet. OK, so you might stick with that one, if you have a passion for it.

The others are likely to be woefully transient, unfortunately. Also, becoming slimmer or healthier through diet doesn’t translate to being fitter per se, although it is definitely an excellent start.

Becoming fitter, with less body fat, combined with having a healthier diet is far better. However, it does need to be sustainable, something which you will continue to do because you enjoy it.

I love it when a plan comes together

This is where a goal with an appropriate plan comes in. A plan which is well thought through, so that when you have followed it all the way through to successful completion, in whatever area you desire, you will not only have climbed to the summit but you won’t be coming down again.

Here’s how to do it.

First, you need Extreme Clarity on exactly what it is you want to achieve.You have to be very specific and be absolutely certain that this is what you want.

Once that decision has been made, you must recognise that it will take a degree of sacrifice, and commit to that. If you wish to lose a specific amount of weight, or become fit enough to run a marathon, for example, you will have to give something up. For weight-loss, chocolate, for fitness you must give up some time. No pain, no gain, to coin a phrase. This is the universe in balance, not getting something for nothing.

Thirdly, you must set an exact, definite date of completion. This deadline becomes sacrosanct. This is where your vague New Year’s Resolutions may have foundered in the past.

Fourthly, and crucially, you need to have a definite plan to follow. This can be quite difficult, and it is where a lot of people go wrong. Write down the date, and, if can be measured, your starting point. You know your end goal, and the exact date that you are going to arrive there. Now be very precise about what you will do, daily and weekly, to get to that point. Establish milestones along the way, and write your plan down, in detail. This is exactly what I tailor for my clients in the Easy Fitness -The Director’s Cut 90-Day program.

Fifth, summarise the four previous steps in a clear, concise statement, and read this to yourself, preferably out loud, twice daily - when you wake up, and as you go to bed. You are internalising your commitment to your goal and the path to your goal, twice a day, so that you will not forget. You can be sure that, however much life gets in the way you will remember exactly what you need to do that day to attain your goal.

Finally, team up with an experienced coach, guide or mentor who will assist you in reaching your goal - or at the very least, you should commit to another person who can hold you accountable.

That is how many successful people achieve remarkable things, but it can equally apply to you for a specific business goal which you may be working towards, or becoming measurably fitter and slimmer.