Achieving goals requires persistence.

Here's the proof: In 1915 Ty Cobb set up an amazing baseball record of stealing 96 bases. Seven years later Max Carey set the second-best record with 51 stolen bases.

Was Cobb twice as good as Carey?

Consider this: Cobb made 134 attempts. Carey made 53.

So Carey's average was much better.

Cobb however made 81 more tries and was rewarded with 44 more stolen bases.

Frank Bettger makes this strong point on page 238 of his fascinating classic:
How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling

When you get behind the big success stories in any given field, you often find the most successful have made more attempts and spent longer hours at the given task than anyone else.

In other words, they give the law of averages a chance to work in their favor! They just keep on striking out, often against all odds.

With achieving goals, this sterling quality of persistence and its bed-fellow perseverance, is absolutely essential.

Yes the previous six steps are also essential and crucial BUT, if you do not persist, your wonderful plan can go down the drain. Your vivid mental images can just evaporate into thin air. Achieving goals simply becomes wishful thinking.

Achieving goals requires that you keep at it day in day out.

Then you are GUARANTEED results - eventually!

Mental Toughness

To maintain this kind of momentum you have to develop mental toughness.

To be mentally tough means you minimize the effects of discouragement and you turn negatives into positives.

Jack Black, in his illuminating book "MindStore", uses a computer expression to combat negativity - "Delete that Programme".

Whenever a negative thought comes into your mind or when others make negative comments, say to yourself, "Delete that Programme" and replace it with a positive thought.

For example, when you catch yourself thinking, "This is just not working, this is useless and a waste of time", trigger mental toughness by saying "DELETE THAT PROGRAMME".

Instead think: "What do I need to do to make this work!"

Admittedly, negative mental habits are hard to break.

It takes time and persistence but oh, the rewards when you do!

The Remaining 90%

Do we understand then why the title of this final session is:

"Achieving Goals: The Remaining 90% - Sheer Persistence"?

It really does come down to that.

Just keep on going, persist, persist, persist, and let the good old law of averages work for you.

Achieving goals WILL become your reality!