We see a lot of information, many gurus, and many companies all telling you what you need to do to be successful in life. Whether it be your health, losing weight, growing your business, being successful. Few however, focus on the essential elements which are actually preventing you from achieving your goals.

With the New Year, and the next season of New Year’s resolutions roll in, I feel this is an important time to get to the point, and focus on the real reasons why you set the same resolutions year after year, time after time.

It’s the things that are holding you back. Everything which prevents you from achieving each goal you set yourself, and it is these things you need to quit doing to achieve everything you ever wanted in life.

So yes, I’m telling you need to quit! Here are 5 things you MUST quit, and some simple tips and solutions to help you live an extraordinary life of health, happiness and success.

Quit procrastinating

You were not born as a procrastinator. Procrastination is a behavior that you can instantly change when you have the right structure in place. Also considered a habit which is a behavior that has been repeated over and over again until it becomes consistent, automated and a behavior. Which prevents you from taking action, getting things done and holding you back from personal growth and success.

Tip: Get organized. The structure you need is to have specific goals, and more importantly, know the reason WHY those goals are important. Your purpose, knowing the higher cause of why you want to achieve a certain goal is crucial to overcome procrastination. Make your goals specific, have a daily action plan of exactly what you need to do on a daily basis, know your ‘WHY’ and develop checklists so you can build that sense of achievement when you tick off or scratch off your completed tasks on your checklist.

Another great tip is to be more aware. Use your awareness of when you start to procrastinate as a trigger, to change your actions onto something that is leading you to your outcomes.

Most importantly, remove all distraction. Number one on the list is social media. Set specific times for your social media activities, remove Facebook from your phone, close the tab on your computer so you’re not event tempted to scroll.

Quit negative thinking.

Your subconscious mind, your little voices will always be there telling you what you can and can’t do. Letting the negative voices determine your outcomes is what’s holding you back. Replace them with empowering thoughts, specific actions that lead you to more positive outcomes in your life that lead you towards your goals, and drive you towards success.

Tip: Create a list of your most powerful affirmations. Affirmations are little mantras or phrases that are aligned with your goals. They fuel your drive, and when repeated multiple times per day, become the foundation of your beliefs. Your belief systems are what your truth. Your truth determines who you are. When you rewire your belief systems, you become unstoppable.

Here are few examples you can use yourself, or as a guideline to create your own. Remember, when you create your own personal affirmations, they resonate with you, they become ‘yours’ and a far more powerful.

“I have all the resources I need to be…….”

“Daily exercise empowers me, drives me and gives me focus on my goals”

“I am a better me, every day, in every way”

“I am productive, organized and positive”

“I am in total control of what I eat, and fuel my body and mind only with the most nutritious food that leads me to my goals”

“I choose to surround myself with positive empowering people that help me to be the best I can be”

“I choose to be positive in all situations, and only focus on solutions”

“I am a strong leader and I lead my team with positive energy, dedication and passion to help everyone achieve their goals”

Quit comparing yourself with others.

This is another form of distraction and one that can really be detrimental to your success in life. Not only does it distract you from being proactive in aligning you with your own goal, comparing yourself against others can actually prevent you from personal growth. Allowing the door to open to negative thoughts, emotions and undoing the great work you have done to reinforce positive thoughts, a positive mindset and empower your life with positive actions and success.

Tip: Focus on yourself, your goals, and your actions. Part of your goal setting process is to know exactly who you are, know what you want to be, and just on making yourself better every day. Be 1% better every day, in just one element, and just one behavior – will ensure you have incredible growth and development every week, every month and just imagine what kind of life you will be living in 12 months from now.

Quit trying to achieve goals without a solid plan.

Random actions produce random results. And as you have probably heard before, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. It’s a simple yet very true statement. I know very few successful people who do not plan their life, their daily actions. Whether it be your health, losing weight, getting fitter, growing your business, hitting your KPIs at work, you need to plan your strategy.

Tip: So if you want to improve yourself, grow, achieve and become better, you need a plan. A specific plan. Writing down your goals is a good first step however, you need more than just a list of goals. You need to know exactly what that goal is, with timelines, with specific action steps and know the resources you need to achieve them. Over the years I have enhanced the traditional SMART goal system to the SMARTER goal system, remove the redundant inefficient elements and replaced with power, action-oriented steps to ensure the SMARTER goal system is a successful tool, a continuous cycle of evaluation, action, and results.

Quit talking about it.

People are great talkers. Most people love to tell others and share what they are doing, what they plan to do, where they are heading, what their goals are, how much money they are going to make, what care they are going to buy. Quit talking about it and start doing it! I have witnessed so many people who have been talking for years, with little action, and very little progress in their life. I too am guilty of talking too much. For some, it is a form of accountability, to share your goals with others. However, more often than not, these statements fall short of results, because you continue talking about them. So quit talking, and start doing.

Actions speak louder than words, and remember, you have goals to achieve to increase your happiness in YOUR life, not others. Sure, you becoming financially independent creates opportunities to make others happy, support and care for your family, but ultimately, it’s for you. Reinforce your goals, write your lists and start taking action on a daily basis that leads you to better results.

Focus on the actions which will give you the greatest impact. Prioritize your goals and work on the most important steps first. Schedule time in your planner, close your office door, find a quite space to write, plan, and gather your thoughts in peace, without distraction.