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?"

3. Feel frustrated with how difficult progress seems? "How can I do this better?"

4. Feel challenged? "What are things I can do to make myself better at this?"

5. Feel intimidated? "What can I do to help myself?"

6. Feel like it's always going to be too hard? Ask yourself, "What can I do to get better at this?"

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...