GOAL SETTING

COURSE OBJECTIVE To help clearly understand your main objectives in life and to take control of that direction by providing challenging but realistic benchmarks towards success.

Definition  Goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to accomplish and devising a plan to achieve the result you desire.  Goal setting is establishing short- or long- term objectives, usually incorporating deadlines and quantifiable measures.

GOAL SETTING OBJECTIVES  What are goals?  Setting your goals  Where goal setting can go wrong  Achieving goals and feedback  Summary of Goal Setting

What Are Goals?  A goal helps you focus your objectives and set benchmarks to follow.  Assist in mapping out what you want to accomplish and can aid in keeping you on task.  Basics:  Always set goals  Find new goal when you accomplish one

Setting your Goals  Long term/career/life Goals  You will have 1-3 of these maybe. What is it you want to accomplish in life?  Generally these are going to take multiple years if not a lifetime to achieve  Seasonal/Yearly/Monthly Goals  These are stepping stones of sorts to help you get to your long term goal. Imagine climbing a mountain, you have to focus on one step at a time, one ledge at a time. If you start looking/thinking too far ahead you stumble where you are currently at.  Set a few of these for each Long Term Goal - These can be anything from training based goals to lifestyle goals as both are important in the pursuit of a larger objective.  Short term/weekly/daily Goals  Set any number of these necessary for you to keep yourself on task and to help you improve your daily training and lifestyle.  These are daily reminders to yourself and ways to keep yourself focused on the little things you need to improve.  Ex: Tonight I’m going to get to sleep by 9 PM, This week I’m going to do 5 core work routines of at least 10 minutes each, I’m going to eat/drink “healthy food” this weekend instead of “unhealthy food”.

Setting your Goals  Positive statements  “execute this perfectly” rather than “don’t make this stupid mistake.”  Be precise  Dates, times, measurements; do not be vague; make them easy for you to understand  Set priorities  What do you need to fix first, second, third, etc…, what are the most important skills or techniques that you will need to work on that will help you accomplish your primary goal.

Recording of Goals  Write them down/share them with others  The more people who know your goals and the more places you have them written down, the harder it will be for you to lose your way.  Write goals on notepad and place: in journals/logbooks, on bedside table, on bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, next to/on computer monitor, (anywhere you will see it/them on a daily basis)  Tell your goals to parents, friends, teammates, significant others, coaches, bosses, etc. They can help you stay on track when times get tough.

Setting your Goals  Set performance, not outcome goals  You can control performance, can not always control outcome  Make sure a goal is something that is dependant on what you can control (ex. Goal to get best time, not win a race)  Set realistic goals  Aim for your best performance/achievement ever  Not other people’s (parents/siblings/wife/girlfriend/coach etc) goals or what they want you to achieve  If it is not something YOU want to do, it is easier for you to give up or quit when the going gets rough

Setting your Goals  Do not let your fears influence your goals:  Do not fear failure- failure can be a positive thing if you learn from your mistakes and/or discover where you need to improve… it is all about having the right attitude whether your goal is achieved or not  Setting goals for yourself  Should be in immediate grasp, not unrealistic, something that challenges you but also something you can legitimately accomplish after putting in the work

Goal Setting Principles Make sure goals are:  Specific and measurable  Difficult but realistic  Both long and short term  Set PROCESS goals  WRITE DOWN goals  Develop goal achievement STRATEGY

Effective Goals: The SMART Approach Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely I will complete the each phase of my final project two days before the due date so I will have time for teacher review.

Goal adaptability  Goals are not set in stone  They can be changed based on situations. Ex. If you accomplish a goal ahead of schedule, obviously you need to change it since you have accomplished it. Likewise, if you suffer an injury or some other set back, it is not always reasonable to keep your original goal. Make adjustments when needed.  Remember, goals are tools to help you accomplish objectives, not the end all, be all.

Goal Setting Gone Wrong  Outcome instead of performance goals  Focus on winning a race as a goal? If you get a personal best time but get beat by someone just faster than you, are you a failure even if you have maximized your potential?  Goals set too high  Too many setbacks or unreasonable goals will just make you more frustrated which leads to lowered chances of success  Goals set too low  Will feel no achievement, if you are not challenged you will not gain as much for achieving the goal  Disorganized  Need to have your goals clear and have a plan mapped out for what you are going to do to achieve your goals

Goal Setting Gone Wrong cont.  Too many long term goals  Will make it more difficult for you to keep your focus on any one thing and thus could lead to failure, there is only so much mental and physical energy you can put towards the things you want to accomplish… Generally it is better to focus on a few things at one time instead of many  Not setting goals  If you do not have a goal, you rarely succeed

Achieving Goals and Feedback  Achieving goals  Enjoy the satisfaction/pride of accomplishing something you have put hard work in for, observe the progress you made towards achieving the goal, the journey is just as important if not more important than the destination  If you accomplish a significant goal, reward yourself  Reflect on what you have accomplished, your experiences, etc.  Feedback: Failure  You can always learn something, even from failure  Didn’t try hard enough, technique was faulty, goal was unrealistic  What do you need to do next time to make yourself successful?  Feedback: Success  You can also learn something from success, do not become complacent because you have accomplished goal  If you encountered problems while working towards the goal, figure out how to make sure those problems do not return in the future

Summary of Goal Setting  Goal setting is an important method of…  Keeping you on task  Helping you stay focused when the going gets tough  Reminding you what you want to achieve  Building your self-confidence  Set goals effectively by…  Making Long Term/Seasonal/Short Term Goals  Phrasing them positively  Defining them precisely  Prioritizing multiple goals  Writing them down/telling others about them  Keeping them manageable: not too hard or too easy  Setting performance goals, not outcome goals  Be adaptable in regards to your goals  Enjoy achievement of goals and learn from failure, do not give up if you do not achieve a goal the first time. There are always more goals you can set for yourself.

Classwork  Try some Goal Setting……….  Write down a long term goal or two  List 5 things you can do to accomplish you goal(s), these can be seasonal and short term goals  List 5 things that can happen that can lead to your goal becoming a failure  List ways to eliminate these things that can lead to failure  Discuss previous goal setting and what you learned from it

QUESTIONS?????

References  In Pursuit of Excellence; Terry Orlick; Human Kinetics, US; This is an excellent, well written book giving a good overview of the subject.  Sports Psychology: A Self-Help Guide; Stephen Bull; Crowood Press; ISBN This has a very good section on burn-out.  Psychology of Sport: Behaviour, Motivation, Personality and Performance of Athletes; Butt, Dorcas; Van Nost Reinhold; ISBN