GOAL SETTING FOR WINNERS!

What do you want to accomplish?  

What will it take to accomplish it?  

How can you fit the steps into your life?  

These are all questions that you need to ask yourself when you find something that you want to do.  To excel at anything in life, whether it be acing a test, winning a game, or making the team, you must first define what the ultimate goal is, then figure out the steps it takes to get you there.  

I'm a professional figure competitor, but I had to work very hard in order to gain my professional status.  I started as an amateur, competing against people locally.  I knew that I had to first win locally, then win nationally, and only then would I join the ranks of other professionals in my sport.  It was a long road, but one that I knew I needed to travel in order to reach my ultimate goal of reaching the elite level of my sport.  I knew it was realistic for me to become a pro, because I was doing well as an amateur.  I also had been given positive reinforcement from others in the sport whose opinions I respected (judges, peers, etc).  I then asked myself what I would need to do in order to get better and become one of the elite.  Could I do those things?  Was it possible for me with the other demands that I had in life?  I decided that yes it was and I moved forward with the necessary work.  I knew I needed to work hard in the gym, eat like a champion, and take care of myself so that I stayed healthy and strong.  Without these things, becoming the best would have been very difficult, if not impossible.  

After 2 years of doing the work that I realized was part of the necessary process, I won nationals and earned a spot in the pro ranks.  I set my goal, determined the work that was needed, did the work, and became a winner.

DEFINE YOUR GOAL

What is it that you want to do?  

WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

Want to ace the math final?  Make the team?  Win the game?  Determine what it will take from you.  This is an area that your peers and coaches/teachers can help with.  Look at what other champions or good students are doing.  Ask them questions on how they got to where they are.  Does the top student in the class study for 1 hour every day after school?  Do they get extra help from teachers?  Does the MVP of the teram do any extra practice on their own?  Find out what their recipe is.  They're the best for a reason, and it helps to see how they do it.  

WILL THIS FIT INTO YOUR LIFE?  IS YOUR GOAL REALISTIC?

Probably the most important question is whether the work will be possible to do given your lifestyle and circumstances.  Determine whether you can fit the necessary work into your life.  This also is a way to determine whether your goal is realistic or not.  If your goal is to become Valedictorian of your class and MVP of the hockey team, but you would have to get 100% on every test for the rest of your high school career PLUS turn in an extra credit assignment every week until you graduate... AND make every practice and do extra practice on the weekends... then maybe the goal is a little unrealistic due to the necessary work involved.  Instead of becoming Valedictorian AND Team Captain, maybe a more realistic goal can be staying at the top of your class and becoming a starter for the team.  It's important to see what you are able to do for your goals within your limits.  For instance, I knew that winning every pro competition that I ever entered would be somewhat unrealistic.  It would mean that I had to be perfect all the time.  Life can throw wrenches into your ultimate plan sometimes, and some things may be out of your control.  So instead, I aimed for winning one show my first season.  Not saying I couldn't have been the best at every show, but starting with a smaller, more attainable goal is much easier to handle.  Biting off more than you can chew can sometimes get you into trouble and overwhelm you, but if you start with baby steps in your goal setting, the reward is huge and can propel you to make larger goals possible.

Seems like a ton of stuff right?  Goal setting sometimes is tough... follow these steps and it becomes very easy....

1. Define your goal.

*WHAT DO I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?

*WRITE IT DOWN!

2. What do you need to do to get there.  

*WRITE DOWN THE NECESSARY STEPS.

*CHOOSE A ROLE MODEL. 

*ASK THEM FOR GUIDANCE.

3. Is the work possible for you?

*CAN I PERFORM THE NECESSARY STEPS?

*CAN I MAINTAIN OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS IN MY LIFE WHILE DOING THIS WORK?

If the answer to #3 is yes, then you're on your way to achieving anything that's in your power... like Nike says, JUST DO IT!!