How to conquer reluctance and reach your goals

Remember playing softball as a kid?  You’d be in the outfield and end up kicking stones most of the game.  Then, all of a sudden a ball would fly your way and you’d position yourself just right to catch it. As you stood there, you would tell yourself don’t drop the ball, don’t drop the ball, don’t drop the ball.  Really, all you were hearing was “drop the ball” over and over in your head. Go figure you would end up dropping the ball.

Self-talk has a huge impact on the way we view ourselves and how we push ourselves to reach goals.  It affects how we motivate ourselves to move forward and it can deter us just the same.

In the world of loan officers, it can help you talk yourself into making the call or it can deter you all week from reaching out and asking for business.  You can justify why you aren’t prospecting more or you can create self-doubt which prevents you from taking the steps to grow your business. The reluctance created affects your service levels, reaching your goals and your overall success. So, how do you push past this reluctance that’s holding you back? Here are some easy steps towards focusing your mindset for success.

Change the Conversation

You can’t move past reluctance, if you don’t change your self-talk.  It’s replacing your negative “don’t drop the ball” to something a bit more positive like “catch the ball” which encourages your actions to reflect your mindset.  Imagine how many times you’ve told yourself not to do something, which is exactly what you ended up doing. Changing your inner conversation with the specific action you want to do will position your mindset to achievement.  

Create a Plan of Action

By creating an action plan and holding yourself accountable you can push through your hesitation.  Every Friday create a plan of action for the following week that includes specific actions you will take toward your goals.  For a loan officer, it might be scheduling two appointments the following week or making two follow-up calls. Set your action or goal and complete it and as you push past your aversion, grow your goals to include more.  Put the actions on your calendar to help hold you accountable. Do whatever motivates you to keep the plan of action.

Create a Script

If part of the reason you are reluctant to ask for business is a fear of being pushy or fear of the phone conversation itself, a script will help you think through what you want to say and help you be more confident in your message.  This doesn’t have to be a cookie cutter approach to conversation. It is simply a foundation to keep you talking and over any fear. Remember, you are a brand ambassador and you need to let others know who you are and what you have to offer them.  Find confidence in your script by using positive language and phrases that get you excited about your brand.

Find a Way to Compete

Sometimes all you need is a little friendly competition to push yourself to where you want to go.  It might be that you have a co-worker that struggles with the same obstacles you do and you can work together to push past them with a friendly competition.  It might be a department that struggles with specific tasks or deadlines that you want to improve. It could be a specific self-improvement you want to make and setting a specific goal and deadline will help push you there. Competition can motivate you past any reluctance you have.

Reluctance and self-doubt impede your success more than you realize.  They become a silent barrier that sneaks up on you and suddenly throws you off course.  If you implement ways to push through these challenges, you’ll find it easier to reach your goals.

Alison Barksdale

Alison Barksdale

Alison Barksdale is the Assistant Vice-President of Marketing for CU Members Mortgage and has worked in the field of marketing since 2000. Her various positions within the field of marketing ... Web: www.cumembers.com Details