Over the past 15 years I have spoken to thousands of young athletes about their athletic aspirations. When I ask them “what are your goals” they usually reply, “I want to play sports in college”. My next question to them is, “do you have your goals written down anywhere?” Most of the time the answer is “no”. This is where the problem begins. You see it’s just not enough to have goals, you must have them written down so you can see them everyday.
Athletes will have many distractions during their teenage years in high school and middle school. They include problems in school, peer pressure, sports injuries, boyfriend/girlfriend problems, a death in the family, etc. By having your goals written down you will stay focused on the BIG picture and not lose sight of what you want to accomplish and what is most important to you.
While growing up, my oldest son Coy was one of the most goal-oriented athletes I’ve ever known. He would set short-term goals for each sport, and sometimes even what grade he would get in a particularly hard subject. Then, he would set long-term goals that would reflect his true aspirations as a competitor, a student, and as a person.
He used to take those little yellow post it stickers and write his goals on them and place them all around his bedroom and on the mirror in the bathroom. He even went so far as to place his goals on the ceiling directly above his bed. That way, the first and last thing he saw everyday was his GOALS!
One key to setting goals is to make sure you set realistic ones. Another thing to remember is that your goals are NOT for others to see. They are for you and you only to help keep you focused and guide you down your path of success. Of course, all of this takes a lot of effort and sacrifice on your part. Your heart and determination will play a key role in whether you achieve your goals or not. If you want to see an AWESOME video about “Heart & Determination” and what it takes to be a success in any sport click here. It is a remarkable and inspiring look at what challenges athletes go through over the course of their lives and the amount of focus, effort and sacrifice it takes to succeed.
Leave a Reply