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Summer 2010
Volume 4, Issue 3
From Setting to Getting: Accomplishing Your Goals, Part I
As humans, we are always setting goals. We may not necessarily think of them in those terms, but we are constantly working towards accomplishing things we have set out to do. Whether it's getting to the grocery store on a particular day or working towards a personal best in your next event, everyday energy is being put into goal setting and sometimes that energy is being utilized more effectively than others. Goal setting is not only a powerful tool for improving performance, but can also direct your focus, increase your confidence, and impact your motivation as well. The current and following newsletter will highlight a two part series on effective goal setting for athletes. Part I will speak to the importance of long-term goals and creating a vision of where you want to go, while Part II will focus on the importance of short-term goals and how to create a plan for accomplishing them.
Going on a Road Trip
Embarking on your journey as an athlete is like going on a road trip. You've packed your bags, there's gas in the car; you're ready to go. Now you're sitting in the driver's seat, you start the engine and slowly realize that you have no idea where you are driving to. The first thing you need to do when you're planning a road trip is to figure out where you want to go. If you don't know where you're going, then you certainly won't know how to get there!What is your long-term goal? Where are you headed on this road trip? Your long-term goal provides you with the vision of where you want to go and what you want to achieve. Are you headed North, South, East, or West? A long-term goal looks out towards the future and picks a destination. Your long-term goal will help point your short-term goal in the right direction. Without knowing what you are working towards, you can get stuck just going through the motions. Having a vision in mind can help guide your everyday behavior and make sure that it is in line with what you really want to accomplish. When you have that vision, you know what you are working for, which can have a powerful impact on your motivation to both create and help you stick to your short-term goals (more on that in Part II!).
Setting Long-Term Goals
When we're talking about long-term goals, those goals can span both long-range and mid-range lengths of time. When you think about what you want out of your journey as an athlete, what is the ultimate goal you are trying to accomplish? For some athletes this might be working towards an Olympic bid, competing in an Ironman distance triathlon, or getting on the podium at Nationals. When you look back on this season, what would make you feel proud to have accomplished? What would need to happen for you to feel satisfied with your progress towards your long-range goal? Do you want to shave off a certain amount of time from your swim? Work on your time-trialing? Improve your leadership skills? What mid-range goals do you need to accomplish on the road to your long-range goal?
When setting your long-term goals, make sure you set a goal that is challenging and realistic. What would you be really excited to accomplish; something that feels like it's just on the outside edge of what you think is possible? If your goals are too easy, they won't stick. There's no real value in the outcome if it doesn't take some work to get there. A road trip around the block isn't really worth putting any effort into. At the same time, if your goals are too hard, you will end up frustrated and drop them altogether.
In order for you to work towards accomplishing your goal you have to be willing to face the possibility of not accomplishing it. Some athletes will steer away from setting goals because they feel like it is too much pressure. When you say you want to accomplish something it means running the risk of not accomplishing it. It's easier on our egos to not set goals and just go along for the ride and see what happens. If you don't set goals then you won't have to be embarrassed or disappointed if you don't accomplish them. It takes courage to put yourself out there and say what you want. Embracing the risk is embracing the journey.
It is also important to recognize that these goals may need to be adjusted along the way. When you're on a road trip, sometimes you might have to change your agenda. You could encounter road blocks, get bad directions, run out of gas, decide to take a cool side trip - it's all art of the journey. You may find that it's half-way through your season and you've already accomplished your goal. You may find that as you work towards your goal the timeline you set will need to be extended out further. It's important to be able to adjust your goal if needed.
Look for Part II of this article in the next issue which will focus on short-term goals and how to create a map to get to your destination!
From Obstacles to Opportunities
There is no participating in sport without also participating in stress. As an athlete, during training and competition there will be a constant stream of demands placed on you that you must respond to. Many of those demands you will have no problem responding to because you are confident in your ability and prepared to do so, but are you able to respond when you come up against adversity? An athlete's ability to deal with setbacks can set them apart from the rest of the pack. In the physical world, resilience describes the ability of a material to return to its original shape after undergoing some sort of stress. In the psychological world, it's pretty much the same thing; how do you respond to adversity and are you able to bounce back? For athletes, resilience is an essential skill to have. Athletes constantly need to respond to changes in their environment in order to be successful. Whether it's responding to changes on the field or changes in their body, the ability to recognize that something is off and then quickly adapt and respond is not only imperative for having a successful career, but also for the longevity of participating in your sport.
When you are resilient as an athlete, you can suffer a setback and not be derailed from moving forward on your path. You can have a slump and know that it won't last forever. You can make an error during competition and not have it affect your confidence.
"I am still the greatest player in the world. I just didn't perform well that night." - Ronaldo, professional soccer player after a loss in the World Cup
Now, I'm not saying that athletes who are resilient don't get disappointed, confused, angry, and frustrated. Resilience isn't about always being positive no matter what's going on, it's about being able to look forward and feel hopeful instead of helpless. It's how you respond to those emotions that defines whether or not you are resilient. Can you come up against adversity and shift your view of it from being an obstacle to an opportunity? The first step in working towards being more resilient is to know that setbacks will happen. The next step is to know what situations are likely to throw you off your game and developing a plan for how you want to respond in order to maintain your confidence and control. Where there was once an obstacle, you can find an opportunity.
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