How to Achieve Your (Athletic) Goals

juli 4 2024

Why does one athlete achieve their goals while another does not? This depends on various factors, including motivation, flexibility, and detachment.

In this article, you’ll learn about the requirements your goals should meet and find tips on how to achieve your athletic goals.

Contents

The Importance of Goal Setting
The Goal Setting Theory (GTS)
Goals for Athletes
Complexity of Sports Goals
Motivation: Engine and Fuel
Success Through Detachment

Summary:

Setting goals is essential for motivation and performance.
Intrinsic motivation helps you achieve your goals.
Detaching from your goal increases the likelihood of success.

The Importance of Goal Setting

If you want to grow as an athlete, setting goals is essential. You can aim for short-, medium-, and long-term goals. These can relate to:

– The result (e.g., reaching the Olympics)

– The performance (e.g., improving a personal record)

– The process (e.g., improving your technique)

We’ll come back to these points later.

Setting goals contributes to better results in the following ways:

– It provides peace, direction, and motivation.

– It helps you focus on tasks that matter by taking your attention away from irrelevant activities.

– When you make an effort, you do it for a reason, which gives you energy.

– It contributes to perseverance in tasks relevant to achieving goals.

– You become autonomous because you know what you want.

A goal, such as winning a tournament, is the mark on the horizon. Then you deal with daily practice. Here, you set smaller goals that contribute to your overarching goal. For instance, in gymnastics, you might aim to land 8 or 9 out of 10 flight elements during training.

Knowing where the finish line is allows you to train daily in a way that brings you one step closer.

Summary: Setting goals is essential to achieving better results.

The Goal Setting Theory (GTS)

Since goals are essential for getting the most out of your training, it’s important to have a deeper understanding of the concept of ‘goals’ and how they can help (or hinder) you.

The Goal Setting Theory is considered the basis for SMART goals, an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

This article focuses on the Goal Setting Theory, emphasizing the motivation behind your goals.

American psychologist Edwin A. Locke developed the Goal Setting Theory (GTS). He introduced the theory in 1968 with the publication of the article “Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives.”

The article explored the relationship between goals and task performance, often referred to as ’the motivation theory for goal setting.’

The theory posits that specific and challenging goals are more motivating than easy and vague ones.

In other words, difficult, specific goals lead to higher performance levels than easy goals approached with an ‘I’ll do my best’ attitude.

As an athlete, it’s crucial to set a challenging goal for yourself because it increases your commitment to the goal. That commitment ultimately leads to achieving your goals.

However, it’s important to consider your belief in your ability to achieve the goal. If you lack confidence, the goal might be too big, which can have the opposite effect.

The key lesson from GTS is understanding that the process of setting goals influences your motivation and performance. Your sports experience is largely shaped by the goals you set. Thus, the goal is both the path and the destination.

Summary: Challenging goals contribute to higher performance levels. Goals that are too challenging, as well as those that are too easy, can be demotivating.

The 5 Principles of Goal Setting Theory

GTS outlines five key principles for setting effective goals. We will relate these to the more familiar SMART principles.

Principle 1: Clarity (Specific)

The clearer a goal, the clearer the route to achieving it, and the greater the chance of success.

In other words: effective goals are specific.

Example: I want to make my debut in the first team.

Principle 2: Challenge (Achievable)

The difficulty of goals is also related to their effectiveness.

When achieving a goal is challenging, it leads to a higher level of motivation, which increases the chances of success.

Challenging goals are more effective than easy goals. However, it is important to have confidence in your ability to achieve the goal.

Example: Last season, I was selected 10 times, three of which I was substituted before time. I need to improve my endurance in sprints so that I am valuable in both attack and defense and can fulfill my roles.

Principle 3: Commitment (Relevant)

If you don’t feel committed to your goal, you won’t achieve it.

It’s important to feel a drive to achieve your goal, otherwise, you won’t have the motivation to persevere when you encounter obstacles.

Example: I want a leadership role within the team and responsibility for my position’s tasks. I will accept competition throughout the season, whether I play or not. My commitment is independent of my own success. I will always give my best.

Principle 4: Feedback (Measurable)

To achieve your goals, you need regular feedback, for example, from your coaches, physiotherapists, and teammates.

This feedback gives you a clear picture of your progress, what you’re doing well, and where you can improve.

Moreover, feedback helps you stay on track toward your goal and make adjustments to your training schedule, techniques, or strategies.

Example: To achieve my goals, I need to increase sprint work by 20% in training and matches. For this, I need a line from the data analyst. I also want to sleep an extra 2 hours each day and measure my food intake with the help of the dietitian and the app.

Principle 5: Task Complexity (Time-bound)

If a goal feels too complex or overwhelming, it negatively impacts your motivation.

Therefore, you should break down your big goal into smaller manageable tasks that you mark as milestones on your way to your goal. Each milestone you achieve boosts your motivation.

This helps you continue to make progress toward your larger goal.

Example:

Maintain 20% extra effort for one week

Maintain 20% extra sprint effort for 6 weeks

Starting 3/5 games and staying in 2/5 games

5 games from start

20% extra effort

Summary: The GTS defines 5 principles that effective goals must meet: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and task complexity.

Goals for Athletes

We now know the five principles that goals must meet. Now, let’s discuss the three main types of goals that you can set as an athlete:

Process Goals

– With process goals, you focus on learning the skills and techniques you need to achieve your ultimate goals.

– For example, if a defender wants to develop a better through pass, he can outline a process for himself and attach a goal to it. For example, collaborate with an assistant for 2 hours per week to improve his technique, a minimum number of times in the middle of the round, and practice during training.

Performance Goals

– The result of the above goal is measurable in the number of successful forward passes in the opponent’s half.

– If you achieve these goals, you increase your chances of success in your big goal.

Result Goals

– These goals are your finish line.

– The footballer’s result goal, for example, is to be able to switch faster with the team or to play under pressure, and to promote or become a champion.

Summary: As an athlete, you need to set three types of goals: process, performance, and result goals.

Motivation: Engine and Fuel

If your hunger is great enough, it is insatiable. Your motivation is your hunger. This puts you in motion and keeps you in motion.

However, it’s important that your motivation comes from your own desires and core values.

We can roughly distinguish two types of motivation.

Autonomous Motivation

– Autonomous motivation comes from within. It is intrinsic motivation. This motivation is associated with the pursuit of pleasure and with a personal interest or value that the goal offers you.

– You feel intrinsically motivated because the goals align with you, your core values, and your ‘being’.

Imposed Motivation

– Imposed motivation is the result of internal or external pressure. This can come from a bubble, causing you to seek external recognition and approval.

– It can also come from pressure in your environment, for example, from your coach or parents. This form of motivation does not come from your core values or intrinsic interests or desires.

Motivation as a Success Factor

With autonomous motivation, your chances of successfully achieving your goal are much greater than with imposed motivation. You will make more effort to achieve your goal and maintain your motivation throughout the process.

In addition, autonomous motivation leads to more satisfaction and well-being, as this form meets your fundamental psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Summary: You can roughly distinguish two types of motivation: autonomous and imposed. Autonomous motivation increases the chance of successfully achieving your goal.

Success through Detachment from Results

It’s a peculiar paradox: by detaching yourself from the result, you significantly increase your chances of achieving your desired outcome.

If you rely on the fleeting adrenaline and dopamine kicks you experience when reaching milestones and goals, you’ll eventually hit a wall. Failing to reach a milestone can profoundly affect your results negatively.

A great example is Max Verstappen. He enjoys his sport so much that he isn’t dependent on results.

“I’m naturally tough on myself, but I never set real goals before the season starts. The most important thing is that we’re in contention for the title, and whether you win all the races or just enough to become champion doesn’t matter that much.”

Continuing to pursue sports out of persistence rather than motivation and enjoyment forces results. This seems contradictory to popular mantras like quitters never win and winners never quit, but that’s not entirely the case.

You can’t achieve positive results from negative energy. Clinging to a goal adds pressure and a constant feeling of ‘must’. This can lead to mental rigidity, halting your progress.

Phil Jackson had a nonchalant attitude towards winning and losing. After losing a match, a reporter asked him what he would do after leaving the arena. Similarly, he was asked what he would do if he had won. His answer to both questions was the same: go home, have a drink, and eat the dinner his wife had prepared.

Summary: Detaching yourself from goals and results significantly increases your chances of achieving your desired outcome.

The Complexity of Sports Goals

Goals in sports are complex due to various factors influencing success beyond the athlete’s effort. Achieving your goal in sports can be influenced by:

– Interactions with teammates

– Opponents

– Coaches

– Injuries

– Your social environment

– Transfers

– New coaches or club owners

– Club unrest

– Private circumstances

Ultimately, it comes down to you as an athlete, or your team, which makes achieving sports goals more vulnerable compared to success in a business setting.

Furthermore, sports goals often involve:

– Fixed goals (e.g., running a marathon in a specific time)

– Changing goals (e.g., recovering from an injury)

– Increasingly difficult goals (e.g., aiming to win the competition as a team, with difficulty changing based on yours and other teams’ performances throughout the season)

Therefore, coaches and athletes should not rely on simplistic processes or become fixated on goals. Flexibility is crucial. Continually re-evaluating goals is important to make necessary adjustments and maintain motivation.

Summary: Sports goals are complex due to changing circumstances, necessitating flexibility in goal setting.

The Role of Coaches in Goal Setting

In the competitive sports world and training environment, coaches play a crucial role in choosing goals and understanding the motives involved.

As athletes face challenges on their journey towards their goals, it’s the coach’s role to provide support, feedback, and recognize when persistence is futile and adjustments are needed.

Advice: Write down goals in a logbook or journal with your athlete. Evaluate where you started, where you are now, and where you’re going together monthly. This provides motivation and clarity.

Summary: Coaches play a crucial role in setting goals for their athletes. Keeping goals in a logbook and evaluating them regularly enhances clarity and motivation.

Meditation to Achieve Your Goals

Meditation helps you achieve your goals in various ways.

Firstly, it helps you understand the motivation behind your goals. You discover whether your motivation comes from your own drive or from external pressures.

Additionally, meditation helps you accept and understand ‘what is’. It teaches you to be present in the moment, to observe and experience situations more clearly. This enables you to quickly recognize changes in your body, adjust when necessary, and fully enjoy achieving your milestones.

Moreover, meditation aids in maintaining focus on your goal and not being distracted by peripheral issues.

Lastly, meditation helps you detach from the result and optimize your sports experience and development.

Want to learn more about how meditation contributes to optimizing your sports performance? Download the free whitepaper.

Setting Goals with Focest

You can achieve any goal you can think of. The most important aspect of your goal is your ‘why’. That’s your motivation. This is where the drive to achieve your goal comes from. Therefore, we delve deeper into your ‘why’ with the help of meditation.

Furthermore, we work on your flexibility. The goal remains the same, but we adapt to the path as it unfolds.

Together, we embark on the process of achieving your goals and optimizing the journey towards them.

Schedule a commitment-free conversation to discuss your goals.

Summary

To achieve optimal sports performance, setting goals is crucial.

According to Goal Setting Theory, goals must be clear and challenging.

A more challenging goal generates greater motivation than an easy one, thereby increasing your chances of success. However, a goal shouldn’t be overly difficult, as this can undermine confidence and significantly reduce the likelihood of success.

Furthermore, it’s important to detach yourself from the outcome. Meditation can assist with this.

Meditation enhances your likelihood of successfully achieving your goals. Focest can guide you in using meditation effectively for this purpose.

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