Goals goals goals

 Goals setting is an important part of preparing for success. 

 "People with goals succeed because they know where they're going."~Earl Nightingale

No Goals, No direction!

There are three types of Goals:

• Outcome goals:  focus on a result, winning, gold medal etc
• Performance goals: specific performance objectives like hitting .400, ERA of 1.0 etc
• Process goals:  actions needed to be carried out to achieve performance related goals.  These are the most important goals to focus on as they are the key to achieving your performance and outcome goals.  For example, when throwing a ball, a process goal may be to step towards your target every time you throw (so as to increase your accuracy and your fielding percentage).

GOALS need to be SMART:  Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely. 

Specific is the What, Why, and How of the SMART model. 
WHAT are you going to do? WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?  HOW are you going to do it?  Ensure the goal you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to "get in shape" set a specific goal to "achieve level 8 on the beep test".

Measurable: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
Setting a goal to "hit further" or "hit better" is hard to measure, but it is easier to measure "hitting 5 more extra base hits" and "increasing hitting consistency by .050".  It is standard to track how many doubles/triples/homeruns a batter hits, as well as their batting average which conveys consistency.

Attainable:  When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them.

Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won’t commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it’s too much for you means your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best.

At training we often set a goal to do at least one more click jump than your Personal Best.  This is attainable with extra effort and focus.  To set a goal of beating your PB by 7 (while a good long term goal) would not be attainable in the short term.

Realistic:  This is not a synonym for easy it just means do-able. It means that the learning curve is not a vertical slope and that the skills needed to achieve the goal are available. For example, Val setting the goal of beating Nikki Bell on the Beep Test, while noble...is not realistic. (sorry Val!)

Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren’t very capable. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!

Timely:  Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by second year University.

Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.  Without a deadline you all would procrastinate! (how do I know this?  I listen to you all talk about school!!) Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start taking action now.  Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.

Starting Setting Goals NOW!

 

~H