Basic Goal Setting

In life coaching they talk about two main types of goal – Outcome and Process.

You have a dream (outcome) and how you achieve that dream is the process. The dream just doesn’t happen though – there has to be a plan, a strategy of how to get there. This is the nuts and bolts of how the various Goals will be achieved. In sports also there is a third type of goal – Performance – which relates to measurable aspects of your own (or team’s) performance irrespective of the outcome.

Goal setting is present in everything we do. A sports person might go into a game not worried about the result, but just happy to play well and enjoy the exercise. So – here the outcome is enjoyment and happy to play well is performance. But say their processes were lazy and unmotivated – then I wouldn’t expect them to achieve the other goals. (They also need to examine their beliefs as well if this is the case!) Alternatively, they might also go into a game where winning was all important no matter how well they might play. So here the performance goals might be very low priority – but how might you view the process goals? They are still vitally important, because no one ever sets out to WIN by not trying to play to the best of their ability.

My contention therefore is that for whatever you want to achieve as an outcome, the most important set of goals are the process goals. Good performance is a bonus – but can be relied upon if you perform the processes well. Reminds me of an amusing comment from Ted in “Ralph and Ted” from The Fast Show when asked what his take on life was. “The way I see it sir is that you’re born and then you die – and what goes on in between? Well that’s a bonus.”

But what if your process goals are not oriented towards achieving the outcome goal? Well then your plan, your strategy, has not been thought through well enough. For either the outcome goal(s) or the process goals ,their outcome is not well-formed. So you can now see that the nature of the plan becomes multi-dimensional and complex. And it is at this point where it will begin to dawn on you that if the Plan is complex – then you cannot carry it around in your head. So – write the plan down – commit it to paper. Write down your goals. Put the whole thing into something tangible, and not just a collection of thoughts.

Writing everything down is absolutely vital to the success of your goal-setting exercises.

The other well known association in goal setting is the acronym – S.M.A.R.T
You need to make your goals SMART

S Specific (Not vague like “become a better person”)
M Measurable (How will you know when you have achieved your goal?)
A Achievable (Don’t make it too difficult OR too easy)
R Realistic
T Timely (Set a timescale for achieving your goal)

Break your big goals up into a series of smaller goals – bite sized chunks. The big picture might seem daunting at first, but if you progressively plan in a series of smaller realistic and achievable goals then the big picture will soon come into view. Get yourself a small notebook and use it as a journal. Put your goals, beliefs and other info at one end, and diarise ALL your activities working towards your goals at the other.