Can you believe March is already only days away? Two months of 2016 have come and gone. The question is, have you gained the momentum necessary to make your first quarter a record breaker in your business?

If you aren’t where you wanted to be, you’re not alone. Many business entrepreneurs and sales professionals start the year with high hopes and soon become disappointed when they fall into old patterns and fail to reach their sales quotas.

Over the past few months, I’ve talked about the importance of having a strategic, measurable action plan in place that outlines the daily tasks you need to complete to realize your goals. I’ve also reiterated the importance of working with an experienced accountability partner to keep you on track. Both are critical pieces of the puzzle that will ensure you finish 2016 with a bang, not a bust.

But without the right attitude, you won’t have the fortitude to execute your action plan or overcome the obstacles that stand in your way of achieving true, lasting success.

Without an “I can and I will” attitude, gaining momentum in your business can be exhausting and demotivating. When you don’t have a positive attitude and aren’t fully committed to staying the course, if a day, week or month passes and you don’t meet your sales quota, you may feel tempted to give up and kick your plan to the curb. This attitude will only set you back further as your strongest competitors push forward and grow their client or customer bases.

A poor attitude can directly impact your sales outcomes, but it also affects those around you. If you lead a team, you can be certain that your attitude sets the stage for your business and employees’ performance results. When a leader lacks the proper attitude, they stop leading. Whenever leaders demonstrate a bad attitude, they create a downright toxic, demoralizing work environment. On the other hand, the right “I can and I will” attitude can energize those around you to push boundaries, improve skill sets and seek creative solutions to seemingly complicated problems.

Your attitude – positive or negative – also impacts relationships with your friends and family. The disappointment and stress that you feel when you fail to achieve your short and long-term goals at work will seep into your home life. We’re just months into 2016! You have the rest of 2016 to make changes, work your business and achieve your goals. By working on developing an “I Can” attitude, you’ll empower yourself with the strength, energy, family harmony and sense of balance necessary to make it through the year strong — without hurting your personal relationships in the process.

The thing is, an attitude adjustment isn’t easy without the proper coaching and support. Mental habits are far harder to break than behavioural ones. After all, our thoughts are the root of our actions.

Give yourself credit where it’s due. The first step is to acknowledge what you’re doing right. Be proud of yourself and your accomplishments, and reflect on how far you’ve come. You may be struggling in certain areas, but that’s a normal part of business development. In order to develop the confidence you need to achieve success in sales and in business, you need to recognize and celebrate your successes large and small.

Set (or reset) short and long-term goals. If you didn’t start 2016 out by setting goals and formulating a specific action plan, this should be your top priority. But even if you did set goals, it’s important to review them intermittently throughout the year. If you’re struggling to consistently meet your goals despite following your plan, perhaps your goals – or the strategies that you’re using to achieve them – need to be fine-tuned.

Put an expert in your corner. Another reason you may be struggling to stay on track is lack of accountability. Work with a mentor who you can speak with on a weekly basis to ensure you are taking the appropriate action steps that will lead you to success. An experienced accountability partner can help you analyze why you are struggling and offer strategic advice on how to overcome the specific hurdles you’re facing. They can also help you develop and maintain a strong, positive mindset, which is critical if you want to become a master in sales.

As a master sales and business development strategist with almost 4 decades of experience, I work with clients day in and out on how to change destructive mental habits and create the attitude necessary to achieve real RESULTS.

If you feel like you’ve already fallen off track to achieving your 2016 goals, I urge you not to despair. If you’re reading this message, you’re committed to becoming a person who can and will succeed in business. With the right support, consistent accountability and a proven strategy, you can still achieve your goals this quarter and “Double Plus” your income in 2016!

Make today the day you start thinking – and acting – in a way that will produce the results you deserve. Contact me today!