How persistent is your will? Are you a person who gives up quickly on goals? Successful people all around the world have one very critical trait in common: an iron clad will to achieve their objectives. How persistent is your will? Do you often give up or are you someone who persists until you have what you want.

How do most people set goals?

Most people set goals based on what they think they can achieve or what they know they can achieve but not on what they really want. This is very sad because it promotes the status quo in their life and prompts very limited growth. Real growth occurs when you step outside of your comfort zone and take a risk.

Why do most people give up on their goals and dreams?

Most people give up on their goals and their dreams because they either 1) are fearful that they will fail, or 2) experience a minor setback and decide to give up because they perceive the situation as too difficult. Is anything really worth while in life very easy to get? Think about the relationships you have in your life with family, friends and your significant other. These relationships require work. The business that you have or the employer that you work with requires effort on your part to sustain and grow. Anything that comes too easily, frequently is also easily lost. If you don't believe me take a look at the statistics of people who win the lottery. Within a couple years they have lost every thing they have won. There's an old expression that anything you have not earned you have not earned the right to keep.

Do you really want "it"?

Many people give up on their goals and dreams because they don't really want them. If an individual has not become emotionally involved in acquiring a goal that they seek there is a very high possibility that they will give up. Ask yourself what are some of your New Year's resolutions from past years. Did you complete all of them? If not why? I'm willing to bet you were not emotionally involved in those resolutions and therefore they did not stick.

How can I improve the intellectual factor of the will?

The will, like all other intellectual factors, can be improved with conscious awareness. Learning to be in control of your thoughts and then focus on one thing at a time is the skill set needed. One way to do this is to buy a candle and light it on the opposite side of the room from you. Focus on the candle and only the candle. Your mind will drift and think about different things such as your job and preparing lunches for the kids. Bring your mind back and focus on the candle. The longer you can focus on the candle and the flame without allowing your mind to drift the better your "will" will become. Once you learn to master this task you can focus your will on anything.

Will this really work?

Take a look at your life in terms of your happiness, health, and wealth. Is there room for things to be better? It doesn't matter how happy, healthy or wealthy you are there is always room for improvement. Ask yourself how persistent are you and how strong is your will? If you continue to do everything you have always done I promise you'll get more of the same results, both good and bad. The candle technique was explained to me personally by Bob Proctor who is a very well recognized authority in personal development.

The use of the will is one of our many gifts but few of us truly understand how important it is to achieve real success in life. I want to suggest that, you take the ideas contained in this article very seriously and become hyper aware of how you use your will and the corresponding results that you get. If you want to see massive improvement make sure that 1) you really want it 2) you become emotionally involved 3) and you never give up.