Motivation

“Goals are like magnets that attract us to higher ground and new horizons. They give our eyes a focus, our mind an aim, and our strength a purpose. Without their pull, we would remain forever stationary, incapable of moving forward…A goal is a possibility that fulfills a dream.”

Lessin, 1999

How goals influence performance

  1. By directing the performers' attention and actions to the task at hand

  2. Mobilizing and prolonging effort

  3. Increasing persistence

  4. Helping performers develop and employ new learning techniques

(Gould, 2015)

Types of Goals

“Outcome goals” are important to set the vision and ultimate destination. However, when too much focus is placed on the “outcome” without developing the plan of action to get there, this typically results in an individual placing unrealistic expectations on themselves which often leads to lower levels of confidence, increases in cognitive anxiety, and decreases in effort and motivation.

When setting goals, not only is it important to set long- and short-range goals that are realistic and specific, but additionally it’s very important to set goals that focus more on the process (task – oriented strategies) and performance (learning, effort, & improvement), rather than solely outcome goals.

Creating Your Goals

Goals are the road maps to what we want to accomplish and are used to help us achieve a particular standard.

By using these guidelines above, you can employ the use of your goals to follow a more systematic approach which in turn will help you increase confidence and increase overall peak performance.

Adapted from: Williams, J.M., Krane, V. (2015). Applied Sport Psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (7th ed.) New York, NY. McGraw –Hill Education.

Horn, T.S. (2008). Advances in sport psychology (3rd ed.) Champaign, IL. Human Kinetics.