There are many different methods for setting goals, lots of different advice out there and sometimes it can be all a bit confusing. So let’s keep this one simple shall we?
A goal to me is simply a ‘dream with a deadline’.
It is something that you have thought about within your mind that you would like to achieve at some point in the future.
There are long term goals and there are short term goals. The long term you might think of as ‘the dream’. The short term goals are the stepping stones along the way to achieving your dream.
Maybe the dream is to win a Gold medal. To win a specific championship. To be the best athlete in your area. Maybe your goal is to simply just have fun and do your best each time you compete. All our goals are different.
Here are three of my top tips on goal setting:
Make sure your goals are your own
Too often I have found that people are chasing somebody else’s goal. Maybe even somebody else’s dream. This is a particular issue I have discovered in young people playing sport. Maybe the pressure comes from the parent or the coach or the teacher and the dream isn’t really the athletes.
I’ve seen this at the highest level of sport and it always ends badly.
When you are thinking about what you want to achieve in 2013, make sure it is what YOU want, not what somebody else wants. This can be a very difficult situation and if you find yourself in this situation, then gain the courage to speak up for yourself, to be honest with the people around you and to tell them how you really feel. This way you will gain their understanding, their support and their encouragement. And even if you don’t, you have done the most important thing of all – you have been honest with yourself. One of the most important qualities you can gain in life is to learn to trust yourself. The sooner you listen to your own instincts, the sooner and stronger you will build this trust in yourself.
Do your research
I would say the most common reason people fail to either set goals or achieve them is because they have not learnt enough about them, about what it will take, the sacrifices, the effort, the time it will take, the steps involved, how it will change their life.
Sometimes when you find out everything involved, it may change your view on wanting to achieve the goal in the first place. AND THAT IS OKAY.
Too many times people think they want something and then when they find out everything involved they are too scared to change their mind, because they have committed to early.
This can all be prevented by taking your time when setting your goals. Ask the people around you about what is involved, how long it will take, speak to people who have already achieved what you want to achieve, learn from them, then trust yourself and make your own decision.
Speak to your coach. Talk to them about your goals. Is it realistic? What will your training plan be? Get as much help as possible.
It is much better to take your time and get it right than to rush in and get it wrong. It will make the whole process much easier and then you will build a positive relationship with goal setting, which will be of great benefit to you throughout your entire life.
Love the journey
Recent studies in motivation have found that people who are only focused on achieving the end result are much more likely to give up compared with people who focus on the journey, the stepping stones along the way.
This is simply because people who are only interested in getting to the end goal end up feeling frustrated when things don’t always go their way and they meet disappointments on the journey. One bad race does not mean you cannot achieve your dreams! One bad season does not mean you cannot achieve your dreams!
Most people overestimate what they can achieve in one year. Most people also hugely UNDERESTIMATE what they can achieve in 10 years. Think long term.
When I first came to Trafford AC, I said to a group of athletes who were doing a hard winter training session they must learn to “love the pain”.
If you hate training, if you hate pushing yourself, if you hate working hard – then you are going to hate the journey. It is going to be much harder and MISERABLE. Who wants that?
Achieving the end goal means nothing if you have not enjoyed the journey. After all, the whole reason for setting goals is to ENJOY life more, isn’t it?
I hope so.
So make sure that the goals you set for yourself are enjoyable. If you don’t enjoy them, change them. Why waste your life and your time chasing something that makes you unhappy?
Again, the first point applies here. You choose goals that YOU want. Goals that get YOU excited. Goals that YOU will enjoy.
Whether your goal is to go to an Olympic games, win a race, run a particular time, or just to enjoy competing – choose a goal that you are going to enjoy along the way and you are much more likely to succeed.
The key to successful goal setting is chasing a dream that gets you excited and learning to love the journey and stepping stones along the way. This is a winning combination.
The reality is that sometimes you will not quite achieve the end goal but as long as you enjoy the journey, you will have spent your time well and you will learn a lot along the way.
Put these tips into practice and enjoy a brilliant 2013!
Martin Robert Hall
A goal to me is simply a ‘dream with a deadline’.
It is something that you have thought about within your mind that you would like to achieve at some point in the future.
There are long term goals and there are short term goals. The long term you might think of as ‘the dream’. The short term goals are the stepping stones along the way to achieving your dream.
Maybe the dream is to win a Gold medal. To win a specific championship. To be the best athlete in your area. Maybe your goal is to simply just have fun and do your best each time you compete. All our goals are different.
Here are three of my top tips on goal setting:
Make sure your goals are your own
Too often I have found that people are chasing somebody else’s goal. Maybe even somebody else’s dream. This is a particular issue I have discovered in young people playing sport. Maybe the pressure comes from the parent or the coach or the teacher and the dream isn’t really the athletes.
I’ve seen this at the highest level of sport and it always ends badly.
When you are thinking about what you want to achieve in 2013, make sure it is what YOU want, not what somebody else wants. This can be a very difficult situation and if you find yourself in this situation, then gain the courage to speak up for yourself, to be honest with the people around you and to tell them how you really feel. This way you will gain their understanding, their support and their encouragement. And even if you don’t, you have done the most important thing of all – you have been honest with yourself. One of the most important qualities you can gain in life is to learn to trust yourself. The sooner you listen to your own instincts, the sooner and stronger you will build this trust in yourself.
Do your research
I would say the most common reason people fail to either set goals or achieve them is because they have not learnt enough about them, about what it will take, the sacrifices, the effort, the time it will take, the steps involved, how it will change their life.
Sometimes when you find out everything involved, it may change your view on wanting to achieve the goal in the first place. AND THAT IS OKAY.
Too many times people think they want something and then when they find out everything involved they are too scared to change their mind, because they have committed to early.
This can all be prevented by taking your time when setting your goals. Ask the people around you about what is involved, how long it will take, speak to people who have already achieved what you want to achieve, learn from them, then trust yourself and make your own decision.
Speak to your coach. Talk to them about your goals. Is it realistic? What will your training plan be? Get as much help as possible.
It is much better to take your time and get it right than to rush in and get it wrong. It will make the whole process much easier and then you will build a positive relationship with goal setting, which will be of great benefit to you throughout your entire life.
Love the journey
Recent studies in motivation have found that people who are only focused on achieving the end result are much more likely to give up compared with people who focus on the journey, the stepping stones along the way.
This is simply because people who are only interested in getting to the end goal end up feeling frustrated when things don’t always go their way and they meet disappointments on the journey. One bad race does not mean you cannot achieve your dreams! One bad season does not mean you cannot achieve your dreams!
Most people overestimate what they can achieve in one year. Most people also hugely UNDERESTIMATE what they can achieve in 10 years. Think long term.
When I first came to Trafford AC, I said to a group of athletes who were doing a hard winter training session they must learn to “love the pain”.
If you hate training, if you hate pushing yourself, if you hate working hard – then you are going to hate the journey. It is going to be much harder and MISERABLE. Who wants that?
Achieving the end goal means nothing if you have not enjoyed the journey. After all, the whole reason for setting goals is to ENJOY life more, isn’t it?
I hope so.
So make sure that the goals you set for yourself are enjoyable. If you don’t enjoy them, change them. Why waste your life and your time chasing something that makes you unhappy?
Again, the first point applies here. You choose goals that YOU want. Goals that get YOU excited. Goals that YOU will enjoy.
Whether your goal is to go to an Olympic games, win a race, run a particular time, or just to enjoy competing – choose a goal that you are going to enjoy along the way and you are much more likely to succeed.
The key to successful goal setting is chasing a dream that gets you excited and learning to love the journey and stepping stones along the way. This is a winning combination.
The reality is that sometimes you will not quite achieve the end goal but as long as you enjoy the journey, you will have spent your time well and you will learn a lot along the way.
Put these tips into practice and enjoy a brilliant 2013!
Martin Robert Hall
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