What 5 things help you achieve your goals? What 5 things seem to help but actually hold you back?

Follow @bakadesuyo

In his very interesting book 59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute Richard Wiseman presents a quiz. Which of the activities below help you achieve your goals and which don’t?

1. Make a step-by-step plan.
2. Motivate myself by focusing on someone that I admire for achieving so much (e.g., a celebrity role model or great leader).
3. Tell other people about my goal.
4. Think about the bad things that will happen if I don’t achieve my goal.
5. Think about the good things that will happen if I achieve my goal.
6. Try to suppress unhelpful thoughts (e.g., avoid thinking about eating unhealthy food or smoking).
7. Reward myself for making progress toward my goal.
8. Rely on willpower.
9. Record my progress (e.g., in a journal or on a chart).
10. Fantasize about how great my life will be when I achieve my goal. 

Ready for the answer?

All the odd numbered activities help. All the even numbered items hurt.