According to a 2020 study published in Proceedings of the National Academic of Sciences , one attribute specifically predicts how effective you will be at pursuing your goals : possessing a strategic mindset.

As the researchers write:

[Success] requires less routine deployment of well-learned skills and more "thinking through" and "figuring out" of challenging new problems. Indeed, the pursuit of any challenging goal often involves actively analyzing tasks and then planning, self-monitoring, and...

The key is to regularly ask yourself 6 basic questions -- all focused on your emotions -- as you pursue a goal:

1. Are you struggling more than you should? Ask yourself, "What are things I can do to help myself?"

2. Feel like you've hit a plateau? "Is there a better way of doing this?...