Put pen to paper

People who write down their goals are 42 percent more likely to be successful.

Reliable support systems

Finally, researchers found that people who had support were more successful in achieving their goals than those without support.

It’s not surprising: even those people you think are really goal-focused face a variety of obstacles, temptations, a critical inner voice, and other drains on their psychological resources along the journey. Everyone benefits from having reliable positive reinforcement from others.

And, while it seems like those close to you should support you on your path, sometimes their fears about how your success will impact them might get in the way of full encouragement.

Rather than focusing blame on those who don’t give you what you need (and shifting energy from your goal), find a person or group who can be your cheer squad. Often, these folks can be outside your inner circle.