There’s no goal out of reach when you commit to finding a solution and commit to the fight. 

Studying Mechanical Engineering in college, I was taught that the best way to stay committed to solving a tough problem is to break that problem down into smaller, more solvable problems. Not only will this provide direction and guidance towards a solution, but this approach will equip you with the confidence and commitment needed to reach it.

Timeless Lessons…

My days as an engineering college student have long passed, but this timeless, valuable lesson in problem solving has stuck with me throughout my life. Whether I’m coming up against fear, uncertainty, self-doubt or any other mental roadblock standing in the way of me achieving a goal, I fall back on those powerful lessons for problem solving.

Having the mental tools to take on and ultimately overcome some of my biggest challenges in life, both personal and professional, I contribute to the lessons I learned as an engineering student. Taking a disciplined approach to facing challenges has consistently brought me within striking distance of achieving my goals.

This realization inspired me to do research on how the most successful people stay on track to achieve big goals. I didn’t just look at successful wealthy people, but also successful mindset warriors. These are people that inspire us to do great things by demonstrating fearlessness and courage in the face of adversity.

Based on my research, I discovered that the journey to success follows a distinctive path. This path consists of a series of steps. Each step builds commitment and confidence, ultimately leading to success.

I’ve identified these steps and when combined, they create an effective system that will close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. I’m confident that if you follow these steps, they will move you within striking distance of your goals.

Let’s Dive In!

Ready to dive in? Here are the steps that I’ll take you through:

1. Frame Your Vision 
2. Commit to Your Vision 
3. Clear the Roadblocks
4. Develop a Battle Plan
5. Declare War
6. Master the Battlefield 
7. Disarm the Enemy 
8. Take New Territory 
9. Declare Victory

9 Steps to Commit to and Conquer Your Goals

1. Frame Your Vision

I often say, our power is a function of our perspective. The way we look at things has an undeniable influence on our perceived power over things. Therefore, it’s critical that we approach our goals from the proper perspective. One that allows us to remain focused on solutions. Successfully reaching our goals is often intrinsically tied to our ability to remain focused. Being focused increases commitment, clarity, and confidence- three ‘must haves’ to achieve any goal.

Imagine being able to turn your unfocused goals and dreams into a clearly framed and focused target that is no longer out of reach…

The Struggles:

Some of the reasons we struggle with or lack the ability to come up with a clear, focused vision of our goals or who we want to become are:

1. Living life on “autopilot”
2. Conforming to norms or always trying to fit in
3. Distracted by low level minutia

Action Steps:

In order to go from “no vision” of what we want to a “Framed Vision” that is crystal-clear and targeted, there are 3 main action steps to take:

1. Make a Decision: Every achievement or great accomplishments starts first by deciding to take action.
2. Clearly Define your Vision/Goal: Know and envision exactly what you want to achieve. This reduces hesitation and procrastination.
3. Write it all down: Goals/plans written down have a far greater chance of being achieved.

The Choice:

Keep doing what you are doing now or decide to turn those unfocused goals and dreams into a clearly framed and focused target that is no longer out of reach.

2. Commit to Your Vision

Life will always provide us with excuses. But imagine having power over those tired excuses and finally committing to the process of becoming the best version of yourself, no matter what it takes. How do you remain unshakeable in your commitment to your vision and goals? There are many different reasons people get off-track or fail at being able to commit to their goals and dreams.

The road to success is through commitment.

The Struggles:

There are countless reasons people fall off-track when it comes to committing to their goals, but some of the most common ones are:

1. Lack of discipline
2. No structure or planning
3. Succumb to “feelings” or lack of faith

Imagine putting those tired excuses behind you and finally committing to the process of becoming the best version of yourself, no matter what it takes..

Action Steps:

In order to go from making those tired excuses of why you can’t make it happen to finally committing to the process of becoming the best version of yourself, no matter what it takes, there are 3 main action steps to take:

1. “What is Your Why?” Establish in no unclear terms “why” achieving this goal is important to you.
2. List the benefits of achieving your goal: How will achieving your goal benefit you and/or inspire others?
3. “Who Do You Need to Become?” List the activities, habits, and routines that you would need to adapt in order to take on your new identity.

The Choice:

Keep allowing fear and uncertainty to control your destiny or commit to your greatest potential and going after the things you hope for and desire.

3. Clear the Roadblocks

Committing to the journey of achieving your goals means committing to doing whatever it takes to overcome the roadblocks along that journey. Setbacks, mental obstacles, fears, and frustrations are just some of the challenges that we inevitably come up against on the journey to success. Having the tools to keep us disciplined in the face of these challenges is essential if we expect to reach our destination.

Imagine overcoming the challenges, mental obstacles, fears, and frustration that are blocking the path to you achieving your goals…

Because a lot of our roadblocks can be contributed to our past or some previous experience, it is important that we acknowledge this reality. But it is also important to know that our past does not define or determine who we can become. Life is hard enough dealing with new challenges that will surely come your way.

The Struggles:

Past experiences fill just one category of common roadblocks that can stand in the way of us achieving results. Here are some of the other ‘dream-killing’ roadblocks that can keep you from your personal and professional goals:

1. Fear/Anxiety
2. Past experiences
3. Limiting Beliefs
4. Stuck in the “comfort zone”

“Discontent is the first necessity of progress.”

Thomas Edision

Action Steps:

In order to go from a stagnant life that is full of dead-end journeys, limiting beliefs, fears, and frustrations to an empowered life fueled by persistence and promise, there are several action steps that you can take immediately:

1. List Your Roadblocks: challenges, mental blocks, fears, and frustrations
2. Breakdown Your Roadblocks: convert your challenges to small, manageable challenges
3. Take Action: Commit to small steps of action that build momentum and confidence to face your challenges

The Choice:

Overcoming the things that stand in the way of you moving forward with our goals comes down to a choice. The choice is quite simple: Keep allowing excuses, circumstances, and challenges to block your road to success or take action to build momentum that’s strong enough to overcome anything standing in your way?

4. Develop a Battle Plan

Once you are committed to taking on a tough goal, developing a strategic battle plan is the next step. An effective battle plan not only anticipates the challenges ahead, but also provides you with the means to outmaneuver these challenges, thus increasing the odds of victory.

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

It’s not enough just to commit to your goals and deciding to take action. Action must be backed up by consistency. In order to remain consistent and committed to your goals, this requires a “battle plan.” Make no mistake, once you decide to step on the battlefield and join the fight for your goals and dreams, you will need a plan. A plan that plays to your strengths and moves you forward regardless of what you come up against.

The Struggles:

There are many reasons why it’s often tough to stick to a plan and even tougher to create one. Sticking to a plan to achieve your goals requires you to take on life head-on. The hard truth is- “You must engage in the fight with what you have, not what you wish you had.” Any successful plan must acknowledge this reality.

Without a battle plan, we slip into our old habits of taking the easy path. This allows us to give in, surrender, and disengage from the fight to get what we truly want out of life. A well thought out battle plan is the best way to stay in the fight.

Some of the reasons why we are unsuccessful at developing and sticking to a battle plan include:

1. Viewing circumstances as unfavorable
2. Focus on lack of resources
3. No clear objective

Action Steps:

In order to go from ‘waving the white flag’ of surrender and letting life push you around, to a warrior with a battle plan, here are several powerful action steps to take:

1. Determine Your Strengths: List your strengths (weapons) at your disposal that can help you in the battle
2. Target Your Objective: Align your energy and resources to a clearly defined objective
3. Set daily/weekly success goals: Continuously execute, collecting ‘small wins’ ensures that you maintain forward momentum

The Choice:

Keep settling and surrendering to life or create a battle plan to get what you want out of life?

5. Declare War

There is tremendous power unleashed in your favor once you formally proclaim your commitment to the fight. You get access to this power when you declare all out war against the forces that are opposing your success.

History teaches us that the Founders of this great country, the United States of America, knew this powerful principle. If the colonies were going to stand any chance coming up against the British Empire, the world’s superpower at that time, a formal declaration of war needed to be ratified.

To win, they had to be willing to put it all on the line, and they did. The Founders formally proclaimed their resolve, but more importantly, their unwavering commitment to the fight for independence by signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. As a result of this powerful declaration and the ferocious battle for freedom that ensued, a new nation was born.

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Declaration of Independence

Putting it all on the line is often a difficult choice, but the rewards that result can be far beyond what we can ever imagine. I’m sure that if the Founders were alive today and could see this great nation that was born out of their sacrifice, they would be well pleased.

The Struggles:

Choosing to take on a tough challenge is nothing compared to going to actual war, but both have the ability to produce debilitating fear. There are many reasons people are afraid and struggle with making the decision to go to battle against the relentless and sometimes overwhelming challenges of life. Some reasons include:

1. Feeling ‘outgunned’ by life
2. Fear of losing what you have
3. Unwilling to stand for what you want

Action Steps:

In order to go from an uncommitted warrior who backs away from the challenges of life to formally declaring your power and commitment to the battle for your goals and dreams, there are several action steps to take:

1. Take full responsibility for your life: make the decision that you will be responsible for the successes and failures
2. Commit to go against the tide: Stick to moving towards your goals, no matter what
3. Make a formal Declaration: Write down a formal commitment to your goal and what you’re willing to sacrifice for it

The Choice:

Keep allowing progress towards your mission to remain unmeasurable, with no clear definition of victory or draw a line in the sand with a formal declaration that honors your commitment to your goals?

6. Master the Battlefield

Success or failure with regards to implementing your battle plan has a lot to do with how well you can control your thoughts and emotions in the face of challenges. In the fight for progress, worry, confusion, self-doubt, fear, and frustrations are constantly on the attack and our mind is the battlefield.

This topic is discussed in great detail in the book “Battlefield of the Mind” by spiritual warrior and best-selling author, Joyce Meyer. In this powerful book, she talks about the forces that wage war on the mind- that seek to block our success, peace, and happiness. But more importantly, Joyce Meyers shares tips and tools for winning this battle in the mind.

Our mindset and how we mentally navigate difficult challenges plays a commanding role in how successful we’ll be at mastering the battlefield. Faith, mental toughness and agility are our winning weapons.

The Struggles:

Overcoming negative thoughts and your responses to them takes mental discipline. Some of the traps we encounter that prevent us from “mastering the battlefield of the mind” include:

1. Assuming “Life is Fair”
2. Overreacting to challenges
3. Not taking “full responsibility” for your life
4. Only focusing on “what’s wrong”

Action Steps:

In order to go from no control over negative thoughts, worry, anger, and frustration to becoming a master over negative thoughts and a master over your life, there are several action steps to take:

1. Acknowledge that negative thoughts exist: shining a light on them, allows you to gain control over them
2. Replace negative thoughts: challenge them or replace them. Are they realistic or serving you?
3. Find ways to serve others: take focus off of you to provide space to reflect and regain control

In order to solve any problem, the first thing you have to do is admit that you have one.

The Choice:

Keep allowing your emotions to run the show or learn to control them and “Master the Battlefield?”

7. Disarm the Enemy

Imagine if you never doubted yourself or your capabilities- Who would you be? What could you accomplish? How far could you go? The possibilities are endless. So what is the main source of the doubt that seeks to hold us back? The answer is FEAR.

Fear is a dream crusher and faith is our strongest weapon against it. How do you go from being isolated and held back by fear to flourishing using the power of faith?

The Struggles:

Choosing faith over fear when it comes to chasing our dreams can be a tough choice. Some of the issues we struggle with include:

1. Trusting the process
2. Avoiding tough challenges
3. Fear of change

Action Steps:

In order to go from an uncommitted mindset ruled by fear to a committed mindset that’s fueled by faith, there are three action steps to take:

1. Study-Up on the Power of Faith: read/study scripture and readings that reveal the role and power of faith in our lives
2. Exercise Your Faith: take bold action towards your goals, do things outside your comfort zone
3. Trust God in the Storms: be willing to trust in a higher power during difficult challenges, this releases the power of your faith

The Choice:

Keep allowing fear to be the enemy of your success and happiness or unleash your true potential with the power of faith?

“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”

George Addair

8. Take New Territory

Personal growth depends on developing the courage and confidence to take on new challenges and seize new opportunities wherever they exist.

The Struggles:

Some of the reasons we lack the courage to take on the work and responsibilities that come along with growth and expanding success include:

1. Stuck in the familiar
2. Afraid of what others think
3. Used to following the crowd
4. Afraid to lead

It’s often said, ”Complacency breeds contempt.” Always have higher goals to reach for.

Action Steps:

In order to go from timid ambitions and ‘comfort zones’ to living a lifestyle of courage, continuous growth, and unflinching confidence to take on new challenges, there are several action steps to take:

1. Choose a ‘life of growth’: commit to dates for reading/studying/personal growth
2. Make the decision to be teachable: always think like a beginner, maintain the desire to continuously learn
3. Be willing to pay the price of victory: success requires sacrifice, decide that you will put in the work to succeed

The Choice:

Keep shying away from the unfamiliar and new or decide to live a life of boldness and courage that is needed for growth?

9. Declare Victory

Nothing compares to the joy and fulfillment that comes from achieving a hard-fought victory. The moment you realize your commitment, determination, and relentless efforts have paid off is a reward like no other.

Now that the battle is won, it’s important to not only celebrate your success, but to also reflect on the value of the victory. Ask yourself: How can this hard-earned victory equip me for future battles? What role can it play in my future growth? Can my success be used to inspire and empower others?

As much as you might think that achieving your goals and dreams is just about you, the truth is, it’s bigger than you. There are very few things more empowering to others than witnessing someone else pull-off a tough and much deserved victory.

The Struggles:

Declaring victory after being successful at accomplishing a lifelong goal is one of the greatest feelings in the world. This is that one moment in time that you truly realize the cost of winning and that all of the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it!

It’s time to celebrate and pop the Champaign! But, this is also the moment in time that you must acknowledge and appreciate the true value of victory. Not just the role that it can play in your future growth and success, but in the lives of others around you.

Sometimes we struggle with truly grasping the value of victory. Several reasons include:

1. Having an ‘unthankful attitude’
2. Arrogance
3. Lack of appreciation of hard work

Action Steps:

There are several action steps you can take to effectively tap into the true value of your victory:

1. Celebrate Your Success: this creates the desire for more achievement, raising your standards of what is possible
2. Show appreciation for what you accomplished: celebrate your success with those who supported you along your journey. This gives you purpose and the perpetual desire to achieve more.
3. Practice Gratitude: set aside time to be thankful, excited, and relieved that the work is done

The Choice:

Keep wasting the confidence and momentum gained from victory or use it to fuel more growth and success?

Victory comes by way of clarity, commitment, and confidence. The UNSTUCK blueprint™ is a 9-Step process that will increase all three. By providing you with a clear path and specific action steps to follow, you can finally take the first step on the journey towards accomplishing your toughest goals!

Written by Jermaine E. Martin

Jermaine E. Martin is the author of the best book “American Mindset: Unstuck & Unstoppable.” He is also the creator and editor for AmericanUndivided.com.