Most people don’t achieve their goals. The problem is that they don’t know how to define progress, according to Ajit Nawalkha, cofounder of Evercoach. We tend to think all we need to do is:

1) define the goal, and then
2) achieve the goal.

“But our progress is really three different steps,” says Nawalkha. First, you define your goal and part of that involves conceptual progress. What training is needed? What coaching? What kind of investment? How do you get there? Conceptual progress involves planning and considering what needs to happen.

Second, you make progress by taking action. That might involve pivots. Some things may work. Others may not.

Third, you make progress and get results. 

Nawalkha notes that after you make a decision to go after a goal, you need to summon up the courage to take action. You build the capacity to make that leap forward when you figure out what needs to happen before you plunge into the fray. You take action. And most importantly, every action creates a new belief in your mind.

I have found that when you take an action that takes you out of your comfort zone and proves that you’re capable of something you weren’t sure of, you’ll feel more expansive. What’s possible grows in your mind. And you become more open to trying new things.