“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high, and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” – Michelangelo
Setting goals is arguably the second most important factor for success in anything we do. Aside from knowing why we want something; we absolutely must know how to achieve that desired outcome. Once we develop our why, it is time to map out our how. This is where goal setting comes in. Goals give us clear direction and allow us to ensure we are making progress towards an accomplishment. Without goals, Michael Jordan would have never been the greatest basketball player of all time, Oprah would have never been a billionaire, and Tom Brady would not be a 6-time super bowl champion. The most elite athletes, businessmen and women, coaches, and competitors all set goals, and they set them very high. Goals are as old as time, even God gave Adam and Eve goals in Genesis when he instructed them to work the land and reproduce. Humans need goals to survive, whether we realize it or not. We have needs: food, water, shelter, and money. So everyday we have the goal to wake up and figure out how to obtain those things. Some people have jobs, and some don’t, but the goal of those needs does not change, only how they are obtained. If you are reading this, then chances are you are privileged to an extent. More than likely you have a shelter, food and water, and some form of education to be able to read in the first place. You have the luxury of creating goals beyond the needs of life. This is excellent, but so many people waste this opportunity. I urge you to not do the same. We will talk about the different types of goals and you will have an opportunity to write them down. Goal setting can be done in every facet of life from athletics to academics to personal and physical goals. This article is aimed at development of athletic goals but take the time in your everyday life to assess how you can create other, non-athletic goals to improve your quality of life. Alright, let’s get into our athletic goals. To begin our goal setting we must first understand the different types of goals and how we can use them. The three types of goals we will discuss and write down are outcome, performance, and process goals.
The first type of goal we will discuss are process goals. Process goals focus on specific behaviors necessary throughout performance. These goals focus on the techniques that assist in overall success. Some examples could be getting the front foot down early during a load of a baseball swing, keeping the elbow in tight and following through with the wrist in basketball, and keeping your head down during a golf swing. Process goals have been shown to reduce anxiety and improve psychological skills. Focusing on the process also allows athletes to not let an undesired outcome affect their self-efficacy. Too often athletes associate outcomes with overall ability, however, focusing on the process will help individualize and allow for progress tracking in pursuit of successful outcomes. Simply put, process goals deal with the practice, the hard work, the painful and gritty path that is often undervalued. If you do not achieve the desired outcome, a win, but do not change anything in the process that lead to the loss, then you will continue to receive the undesired outcomes. The best competitors are those who love the process, who love to practice. Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are two excellent examples of this. They notoriously drove their teammates crazy at practice by pushing the pace and challenging them. This, as basketball fans know, led to several championships between them and not by accident. They understood the phrase that “there is no such thing as a gamer". Athletes do not just show up and compete best in games, it is hard earned through hard practice.That is THE PROCESS. Setting process goals means setting practice goals based on areas of need. If a baseball player is out in front of a curveball in a game, then get on the machine at practice and dial in curveballs and hit 40 until you learn to stay back. If a basketball player keeps missing free throws in a game, then don’t leave the gym until you make 50 in a row. These are examples of process goals and they require an honest and blunt reflection of yourself. There is no dancing around the process. Without it there is no desired outcome.
So throughout your season get good at writing process goals. Let's practice now.
Write down three process goals for an upcoming competition
These goals can be adjusted after every single performance and should be based on weaknesses from previous performances. Keep a notebook in your locker and/or gym bag to keep up with your process goals. Then put in the work. The process may be hard, and it may be painful, but it is the most important part.
The next goal type is performance goals. Performance goals are as they sound, they deal with in performance objectives. Performance goals can be set before each specific game and measured immediately after. Accomplishing performance goals is a great way to make progress towards outcome goals. An important thing to remember is that performance goals are helpful when moving toward outcome goals, but you have to make sure athletes are not over focusing on performance goals (themselves) and neglecting outcome goals (team) as performance goals are often individual and outcome goals are often team oriented. This obviously changes a bit if you are an individual sport competitor (golf, tennis, swim, etc..). It is also important to point out that process and outcome goals can sometimes lead to performance anxiety. Utilizing anxiety reduction techniques can be effective when thinking about performance goals. Some performance goals can include having 2 quality at bats in a baseball game, making 70% of shots attempted in a basketball game, or scoring a goal in a soccer game. I find that utilizing quality performance versus quantity performance leads to less tension and anxiety. Focusing on performance accomplishments that help the team win instead of helping individual success. For example, laying down a sacrifice bunt should be seen as a quality performance instead of saying “I need to get three hits today”. Also understand that whether you hit your performance goals or not, your process goals will be based on improving for the next performance.
Write down three performance goals. Use this before every competition. They can be written on a notecard or in a notebook before competition and kept in your sports bag
The final goal we will discuss are outcome goals. Outcome goals are just as they sound; they focus on the outcome or result of a competition or event. This would be winning a game, winning a championship, making one million dollars in your business, becoming a professional athlete, etc. Your process and performance goals should be planned to achieve your outcome goals. As athletes, our outcome goal is to win, always. We want to win games, districts or conferences or divisions, and championships. But any champion will tell you, trophies are won in the off-season. The work, the process, that is what leads to winning. Athletes and coaches should make outcome goals together and post them and reflect on them often. It is best to get specific with outcome goals and make them in as many categories as possible. For example, the baseball team I work with has the following outcome goals: win 75% of games, have an ERA less than 3, have more walks than strikeouts (offensive), have a fielding percentage greater than .950. These goals cover the three aspects of the game of baseball - hitting, pitching, and defense.
Let's Practice:
Team: Write down three outcome goals you have for your upcoming season
Athletes: Write down three individual outcome goals for your upcoming season
Coaches: Write down three outcome goals for the season
Once you have your team outcome goals, it becomes easier as teammates, coaches, and leaders to ensure the process and preparation are leading to desired results and to check if something needs to be tweaked or even eliminated.
The last key component of goal setting is timing and checkpoints. Goals should range from quickly achieved or short-term, checkpoint or mid-range, and over time or long-term. When you set an outcome goal, you will have short-term and mid-range goals that act as checkpoints as you progress to the long-term goal. For example, if you want to be a professional athlete, you should probably start by playing your sport for your high school or a club team. Then you should become a starter, improve your skills, increase your strength and speed, make good grades, and anything else required to get you to your long-term goal. It is important that you do your research when it comes to achieving long-term goals, otherwise you could be wasting valuable time going in the wrong direction. Knowing how is essential but knowing when and if you are making progress is as essential.
Let's Practice:
Goal-Timing: List your goals in order
10-20-year goal (professional/future-self) –
5-9-year goal (developing self) –
1 month – 4-year goal (current self) –
Daily Goals –
The more specific and detailed you can make each steppingstone, the better plan of action you can take to achieve your overall goal. Always remember that goals can and should adapt overtime. You do not have to keep your goals stagnant. Research suggests that developing a multiple goal strategy leads to more success over time. Combining the three types of goals will assist athletes, coaches, and programs in achieving desired results. Knowing your goals allows for alleviation of stress and anxiety as well as makes for easier decision making. If something is not going to get you to your goal, then don’t do it. Remember to set your goals high and then travel the steppingstones along the way. Goal setting is a great way to win The Head Games.
