The one quality you need to reach your most important goals

The one quality you need to reach your most important goalsThe one quality you need to reach your most important goalsResearcher Angela Lee Duckworth studied West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee contestants, teachers in tough schools, and sales peoples, asking who would succeed and why.In all those very different contexts one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success, shesaid in a popular TED Talk. And it wasnt the usual suspects. What was it? It was grit.Duckworth defines grit as passion and perseverance for very long-term goals . . . sticking with your future, day in day out. . . . I call thatpersistence.Weve all had dreams about the future that havent come true. Weve probably let some of those dreams die. But what if we could develop the grit and persistence required to revive those dreams and achieve them?We can. And its simpler than you might think. Here are six techniques proven by research and practical experience that can help you break through to have your best year ever.1. Find yourwhyNo one perseveres unless they care. To maximize our persistence, we have to pursue goals that really matter to us.That doesnt mean we always find behauptung goals fun or even that theyre our idea. They just have to be personally rewarding. Researchers sometimes call these autonomous motives.Think about parenting or getting fit or hitting a major professional goal. All of these challenges will test our perseverance. The trick is to connect with whats at stake. Why does it matter?If we dont stay connected to your why, asone study put it, the infusion of goals with energy may be distressingly temporary. In other words, chances are good well burn out and bail.But, asanotlageher study found,Autonomous goal motives will result in greater objectively assessed persistence toward an increasingly difficult goal. If individuals strive with more autonomous motives, they will be better equipped to overcome challenges in goal pursuit.Finding our why is the firs t step to developing the persistence we need to attain our goals. This forms one whole section of my new bookYour Best Year Ever A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals.2. Believe the possibilityTo accomplish anything, we have to believe were up to the challenge. That doesnt mean it will be easy or that even know how were going to accomplish it. Usually we dont know. It just means we believe were capable.Every goal has obstacles. When some people have trouble getting over obstacles, they doubt they have what it takes.Others just work harder. Whats the difference?According toHeidi Grant Halvorson, researchers label the first group entity theorists. They think their abilities are platzdeckchen in stone. Youve heard people say this Im just no good atx,y, orz.The second group are called incremental theorists. These are the possibility thinkers. When they cant seem to get over an obstacle, they dont blame it on themselves. Since they believe theyve got what it takes, they j ust look for new approaches to the problem.This gritty attitude pays off in a big way, says Halvorson, leading to far greater long-term accomplishments.So whats your mindset? Developing persistence requires possibility thinking.What if thats not you? The good news is that we can become possibility thinkers by gaining confidence in our abilities. One way to do that is to get some wins under our belt.3. Set your targetsSo lets say weve found our why and believe weve got what it takes. Its time to address the goals were pursuing.Ive always recommended going after goals that push us into the discomfort zone. Why?Research shows a direct link between the difficulty of a goal and our enthusiasm and performance. And the emotional payoff of attaining big goals rewards our persistence. It becomes self-perpetuating.The trick is setting milestones that are squarelyinsideyour comfort zone. Big, risky goals can also feel daunting. If we chunk them up, we can get some wins under our belt. And thos e wins can keep our energy up for the big goals. How?According toChristopher Bergland, when we accomplish small tasks and hit deadlines, our brains give us a hit of dopamine and we feel good.The more we train our minds toward accomplishing the small goals, the more persistence well display for major long-term accomplishments.4. Measure your gainsWhen we set big, challenging goals its easy to see how far we have to go and lose enthusiasm. We can start criticizing ourselves and get dispirited, cant we?Something I learned from Dan Sullivan has helped me rethink this problem. Dan talks about measuring the gain and not the gap.If your goal is to write a book, pay off your mortgage, build up your retirement - whatever - it can be daunting to look up and realize how far you still have to go.Thats the gap. But look at the gain. See how far youve already come and let your progress inspire your perseverance.This another reason setting milestone is helpful. Not only do they help break up the big goal into manageable chunks, they give us something to measure - forward or backward.And heres a plus If we get good at measuring the gains, well not only cultivate persistence. We can also sustain momentum.5. Build your teamWe have a very powerful myth in our culture - the myth of the self-made individual. Ive got news for you. Theres no such thing.Success requires help, usually lots of it. After the surprise success ofThe Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien was asked to write a sequel. But when he began writingThe Lord of the Ringshe couldnt make any progress.So how did he schliff what became one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century? The constant encouragement of his friends - especially C. S. Lewis, who kept him focused and energized.There are two kinds of relationships that we need to develop to help us persist in the face of adversityMentors. Everyone needs a guide, preferably many. These are people with experience and maturity who can counsel, inspire, and challenge us. These relationships can be personal or virtual. They can even been literary through biographies, histories, and great novels.Peers. We also need a circle of co-travelers, people who are at our level struggling with their own goals. Facing the world with friends and colleagues gives us confidence. It also provides us insights and solutions we wouldnt have considered on our own.Building a team of mentors and peers will help us persist toward even the most daunting of goals. We all need community, especially when the going gets tough.6. Celebrate your wins (especially the small ones)In the Genesis story, it says that God looked at everything he created and called it good. But he didnt wait until the whole creation was finished. He did it at each stage. Its a good model for us too.I firmly believe in celebrating our wins. I recently took my whole company on aCaribbean cruiseto acknowledge a major win. But its important to pause and celebrate the small wins too.When we celebrate rea ching our milestones, we stay emotionally engaged for the long haul. Bergland says its about harnessing your reward circuitry and tapping your dopamine pipeline.All I know is thats exciting. And I want more after every win.Winning helps keep us in the game. That means we need to be serious about celebrating our wins. And the bigger our goals, the more important it becomes to celebrate small victories.So forget about talent, brains, and all the rest. The real question is are you tenacious? Do you have grit? Because when the dust clears, only the persistent are still around to claim the prize.This article first appeared on Goins, Writer.