If you’ve been stuck for a while, it’s time to make some changes and enjoy a breakthrough in your life. It’s easy to be stuck in a rut. The same thinking, routines, habits, and actions lead to the same mediocre results.

Since change is so challenging, it’s important to put all your resources toward changing just one part of your life. You can change if you really want to. Follow these strategies and you can change anything about your life you desire:

1. Focus your attention on one aspect of your life.
Accomplishing something big will require a lot of your time, energy, and focus. Now isn’t the time to search for the partner of your dreams, lose 40 pounds, find a new job, and train for your first marathon. Pick just one thing and give it all you’ve got.

2. Set a goal.
Be crystal clear on what you’re committed to accomplishing. It takes courage to set a goal, because once you set a standard for success, you’ve also defined failure. Are you willing to risk failure to have a major breakthrough in your life?
● Setting a goal is also a form of making a decision. Once you’ve made a
decision, you don’t have an excuse to avoid getting started.

3. Become an expert.
Whatever the topic of your breakthrough happens to be, become an expert. Acquire a few books, watch a couple of videos, and talk to an expert if possible. Avoid spending too much time on this step.
At some point, you’re just procrastinating.

4. Raise your standards.
If any part of your life is less than you want it to be, your standards are often to blame. Whether you’re overweight, have an unfulfilling relationship, or your bank account is limiting your life, your standards set the bar.
● You must be less tolerant of what you’re willing to accept in your life if you’re going to make a breakthrough.
● Notice how hard you’ll work when your life slips below a certain level. Notice again how you relax once you re-attain that level. If that level were higher, you’d work like crazy to get there.

5. Make a plan and get started.
You know what you want, and you know how to get it, or at least how to get started. Make a plan that will lead you to success. Keep in mind that making a plan is easy. You don’t have to do much, and you feel like you’re doing something, but you’re not. You’re just preparing to do something.
● There are many people that make great plans, but few of them actually follow through on those plans. It’s okay to be excited by your marvelous plan but understand that your enthusiasm can quickly fade.

6. Track your time.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Track your time each date and tally up how much time you’re actually spending on working toward your breakthrough. It’s probably a lot less than you think. Decide to do better each day until you’ve achieved your goal.

7. Drop habits that are getting in your way.
You have habits that undermine your efforts to change your life. Depending on your objective, your bad habit might be eating late at night, spending money on expensive clothes, wasting time, or treating your friends poorly.
● Look at all your behaviors and think about how they impact your attainment of your goal.

8. Don’t quit.
You’ve heard this advice 1,000 times because it’s true. It’s hard not to be successful if you’re working hard and don’t quit. Keep going until you’ve had the breakthrough you desire.

Are you ready for a breakthrough? Are you willing to make the necessary changes to
attain a breakthrough? Take control of your life and improve your results. Now is
the time.