Most athletes recognize the importance of goal setting and make some effort to set their goals. But often, I hear frustrations arise when it doesn’t seem to be doing a whole lot of good and often can create too much pressure and expectation that can become suffocating for athletes.
Despite setting goals, clients and athletes still struggle, lose steam and give up.
The problem is, many of the traditional methods of setting goals are too surface level and fail to recognize the different kinds of deeper motivation and commitment.
We have our athletes write down their goals, which usually come out to something like this: I want to gain 20 pounds/add three inches to my vertical.
Similarly, coaches in a team setting will often hear goals like Win the state or national championship.
This can be tricky. It’s not that these are bad goals, but if we stop here, we’re not digging deep enough.
Just saying they want to add three inches to my vertical may be a good starting point, but it won’t build the commitment needed to grind it out when things get hard and they want to give up.
We have to do a better job of tying the outcome goals we have into a process of steps we can take to get there (insert success checklist) and also into a why that really connects with the individual on a very deep and personal level.
For athletes who seem to continually struggle to bring focus, energy and commitment to the table, helping them identify why they are pursuing their goals on a deeper level is a powerful tool.
The Why and What goal setting strategy is ideal for athletes who have a hard time articulating a deep, meaningful reason why they want to achieve their goals.
If vague, surface-level answers are provided in response to What are you hoping to achieve? and Why is that important to you?, then the Why and What strategy will be good to use..
Step #1: Choose Your Goal (Be Specific)
Seem obvious, right? Yet so many people have no idea what they really want to achieve with health, fitness and athletic performance. Not having a clear idea of what your goal is causes you to be distracted by all of the stuff out there without helping you actually achieve anything of significance. What do you want to accomplish over the next 6-12 months with your body or your performance? What is your health, fitness or athletic performance goal? Make this specific and measurable. For example: I want to gain 20 pounds in the next six months — or I want to add 25 pounds to my max bench press in four months — or As a team, we want to win the league title. Write your goals in your journal.
Step #2: WHY Do You Want the Goal?
Most people never take the time to actually write down their goals. And those who do almost always stop there. Getting crystal clear on why you want to achieve a goal is extremely important. Try to dig deep and don’t be afraid to admit your TRUE motivators — there is no wrong answer! Some of your deep motivators may be extrinsic (look better in a bathing suit, make your family proud, achieve recognition), but the motivators that hold the real power are the deeper, intrinsic motivators. Things like the fulfillment that comes from knowing you did everything you could to reach your max potential and perform your best individual or as a team, or the personal satisfaction you’ll receive from knowing you were able to achieve something you previously thought impossible. Those are the kinds of things we’re trying to uncover here. The key: All reasons must be really important to YOU. Get clear on your reasons. These will be your motivation bedrock for now and beyond. Write down your big reasons WHY in your journal.
Step #3: What Are the Benefits of Achieving Your Goal?
Now that you know your WHY, let’s talk more about specific benefits. You should get something out of all your efforts to eat healthier, work harder in the gym, and put in the hours practicing. Knowing exactly what benefits you want — and can expect — can be a huge motivator. Think back to the goal you wrote down in step #1 and fast forward to 4-6 months from now. You’ve gained the weight/gained the muscle. You won the championship. You’ve seen your accomplishments soar to levels better than you thought possible. What are the specific benefits you have now? Are you more confident? Do you have more energy during the day? Are your friends and family shocked at the changes you’ve made? Are you holding on to the memory of hoisting the trophy above your head with your teammates, knowing you will be in your school’s history books forever as champions? List 5-10 SPECIFIC benefits in your journal.
Step #4: What Are the COSTS of Achieving Your Goal?
Alright, so we did the fun part and listed all the good things that will come of achieving your goals. But there’s no way around this: In order to achieve BIG goals, you’re going to have to put in the work and make some sacrifices and decisions about what you will NOT do. That’s okay, but it’s important to identify these “sacrifices/decisions/costs” ahead of time so that when they arise, you know it’s just par for the course.
You’re going to have to start doing some things that take effort that you may not be used to doing. You’re also going to have to stop doing some things that aren’t consistent with your goals. What are the costs of your goal? Are you willing to sacrifice social time to practice? Are you willing to stop drinking soda or alcohol, playing video games till the wee hours of the morning etc. Are you willing to get up an hour early if necessary to work out?? Write down 5-10 specific sacrafices/decisions/costs of chasing your goal over the next 6-12 months (eating, exercise, time, effort, etc.)
Step #5: Do Your Benefits Outweigh the Costs?
To achieve any goal — whether it be a health and fitness goal, performance goal or team goal over the next 4-6 months — your brain’s emotional perception of what you’re going to get out of your efforts MUST outweigh the pain incurred from the costs. Do your benefits outweigh the costs? Yes, no, maybe? Write your answer and tell yourself WHY the benefits outweigh the costs…
Step #6: Your Mission Statement
Now that we’ve done all the grunt work, it’s time to put it all together into a simple mission statement that you can refer back to over the next 4-6 months. Print this out, tape it to your bathroom mirror or put it on the background of your phone and make sure you look at it every. single. day.
Complete your mission statement by filling in the blanks below…
I am achieving/becoming (write goal here) _________________________ in the next 4-6 months because (write benefits here) _____________________, and I know that the costs of making these changes are (write costs here) _______________________________________
…. Which I accept because I’m on a mission to become the strongest/healthiest/most successful version of myself. Please complete your mission statement in your journal.
Here is a Mental Performance Daily podcast discussing the What and Why.
