Setting Some New Goals
Posted On: 07-06-2020
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:
- What do I want to do?
- How am I going to do it?
- How can I measure improvement?
- Who can help me?
- How will I know when I’ve achieved it?
- 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