Why Some People Achieve Their Goals (And Others Don’t)
Have you ever thought why some people seem to tackle challenges and make changes with confidence while others hesitate?
If you're struggling to maintain your resolutions or stay committed to your goals, I wrote this article to help you follow through, stay on track, and strengthen your inner reserves.
Psychologist Albert Bandura called this self-efficacy, but at its core, it’s the belief in your ability to succeed in specific tasks or situations.
Self-efficacy isn’t something we are born with—it’s a skill you can build and strengthen.
High self-efficacy fuels confidence, ambition, and resilience. On the flip side, low self-efficacy can lead to self-doubt, frustration, and giving up too early.
No one is born with high self-efficacy. It develops from childhood through experiences, social interactions, and internal beliefs, influencing:
✅ Career choices (Do I believe I can succeed in this role?)
✅ Relationships (Can I handle difficult conversations?)
✅ Personal goals (Am I capable of running that marathon or launching my business?)
The good news? Self-belief is a skill you can develop, at any age— and when you do, you are able to make the changes and achieve your goals.
It’s the end of January now and most people abandon their resolutions or new year goals they set by February.
Often, I see this happening with “soft” goals—the ones related to personal growth, well-being, health, relationships, or lifestyle aspirations. These are the goals where we lack external accountability from a team, work, or others in our daily life.
Why? Because these goals are actually harder to achieve—they require bigger, practical changes in our time management and routines that we have repeated a long time. And those changes demand that we break the patterns and create new habits, mindset adjustments, and resilience.
💡 Willpower alone isn’t enough to make it happen.
Willpower is a muscle that gets tired. It can’t override the subconscious beliefs and patterns that define what is, or isn’t, possible for you to create and achieve— these are learned psychological programs and the reason for feeling stuck or stagnant— but these can be reprogrammed.
Here are 10 ways to build self-belief and take charge of your success:
1️⃣ Set Achievable Goals: Small wins build momentum and confidence.
2️⃣ Break Tasks into Steps: Overwhelm disappears when you tackle things one step at a time.
3️⃣ Visualise It: If you can see it, you’re more likely to achieve it.
4️⃣ Seek Role Models: Let those who’ve walked a similar path inspire you.
5️⃣ Reflect on Past Wins: You’ve overcome tough things before—you can do it again!
6️⃣ Positive Self-Talk: Your words and how you talk to yourself matter. 🗣️
7️⃣ Learn from Setbacks: Every challenge is a lesson in disguise, showing you the way.
8️⃣ Seek Constructive Feedback: Outside perspectives help you grow. 📈
9️⃣ Build a Support System: Surround yourself with people who believe in you.
🔟 Take Small Risks and Inspired Action: Pushing your comfort zone fuels growth.
Do the work and watch yourself creating momentum and thrive.
Practice Resilience, tolerate setbacks and frustration: Bouncing back builds unstoppable confidence and self-belief.
How have you successfully achieved your goals or made changes in the past?
In my Clarity Coaching work, I’ve witnessed time and time again how clarity, self-trust, and small steps forward lead to big transformations.
I have coaching spots available for February. If you’re ready to gain clarity, build confidence, and make sure you will achieve your 2025 goals with support, let’s talk.
📩 reply to this post or email jenni@jenniglad.com