Setting Some New Goals

As you gradually resume some sense of normalcy, your opportunities to shoot are also presenting themselves.  At this juncture, many have not done a lot of shooting so it might be a good time to reassess your goals.  Start by thinking about short-term goals and then long-term goals.  Also start to break down the goals into process goals, performance goals and outcome coals.

Your process goals are short-term, focused on improving form, technique, and strategies. 

Performance goals are intermediate, and specific actions/accomplishments

Outcome goals are long-term end results.

How to start? Ask yourself some questions:

1. What do I want to do?
2. How am I going to do it?
3. How can I measure improvement?
4. Who can help me?
5. How will I know when I’ve achieved it?
6. How will I get in my own way? What excuses will I come up with?

Then, plug in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym

S = SPECIFIC; what exactly do you want to accomplish?

M = MEASURABLE; how will you know whether you’ve succeeded or not?

A = ACTION-ORIENTED; making a goal to not watch as much TV is not the same as making it a goal to practice your imagery every night

R = REALISTIC; is the goal within your capabilities? Should be difficult but attainable

                  How do you define realistic?

                              First pick a great but unrealistic goal

                              Then, pick a realistic but too easy goal

                              Finally, choose something in between those

T = TIMELY; put a deadline on it

Remember, effective goal setting pays more attention to the little goals then the big goals.  Give this a try as you begin to reset your shooting.

David R. Vaught, Ph.D

Executive Director