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What keeps people from achieving their goals? In this episode, Jim and Jason kick off a new multi-week series exploring the 21 Barriers to Success from Sandler’s classic No Guts, No Gain program.

This week, they unpack the first three barriers:

1. Resignation
2. No Priorities
3. Low Self-Esteem

“Resignation is giving up,” Jason says. “It’s surrendering to the state of affairs as they are and clinging to the status quo.”

Jim reflects on how resignation creates comfort zones filled with passivity, warning that it often spirals into self-pity, remorse, and regret.

Then the conversation shifts to the second barrier: lack of priorities.

“Highly successful people are well balanced,” Jim says. “They work hard, they play hard, they live hard.”

The problem isn’t having a to-do list—it’s having no clarity on what truly matters.

“My to-do list was a tool I used to guilt myself into action,” Jim admits. “But once I began identifying the five most important things to accomplish each day, it reduced unnecessary stress and anxiety.”

Jason emphasizes that starting the day by checking emails means starting with everyone else's priorities. Instead, define success the night before and protect your focus from other people’s agendas.

Finally, they discuss low self-esteem, the third barrier, and how it subtly undermines performance.

“If you don’t like yourself, you won’t do much for yourself,” Jason notes. “And the less you do, the less you like yourself. It’s a spiral.”

Jim adds that we often don’t realize the narrator in our head is feeding us self-defeating messages:

“I discovered that my narrative about myself was creating a strong negative influence. And while I used to praise my inner critic for driving perfection, perfection is a myth.”

They close the episode with a call to reframe your narrative, celebrate the difficult things you’ve already accomplished, and remember:

“If you don’t define success for yourself each day, you’ll risk feeling like you’ve failed—no matter how much you’ve done.”

At Crossroads Business Development we are the recipients of the David H. Sandler award for 2021, the highest mark of achievement that the network passes out. We pride ourselves with our dedicated service to the success of our clients and our top-of-the-line training that keeps our clients engaged and coming back for more.

Jim is a dynamic and engaging conference presenter and national speaker, renowned for his impactful presentations at a wide array of sales and industry events. With an impressive twenty-five-year track record in entrepreneurial small business creation, sales, and company management, he brings a wealth of real-world experience. Additionally, Jim has spent two decades honing his expertise through Sandler Sales & Management Training, equipping him with the tools to drive success in any organization. His keen insights and ability to identify and address roadblocks are instrumental in fostering growth and transformation for individuals and companies.

📧 [email protected].

Jason worked at the university before joining the team. He brings an analytical perspective to coaching and has several tracks to help with team and personal development.
Our clients hire Jason for his systematic approach to help them integrate Sandler into their day-to-day operations. His attention to detail and expertise with our assessment tools help them create behavior-based plans to incorporate more processes and align their goals with the company's goal