When I’m feeling stuck in a rut, one of the things that helps me is to watch sports documentaries or read autobiographies of sports people – all the better if they’re about women in sports. There’s something about an athlete’s mindset, their commitment and the chasing of a goal which speaks to the dreamer (and achiever) in me, stoking those fires in my belly.
The frameworks they build around a central overriding goal are fascinating. And, replicable. That’s the bit I find so juicy; we can all build support systems, carefully curated routines, and take care of ourselves in optimum ways. What stands out is that no matter the sport, there seem to be common pillars to keep the athlete on track, prepared and ready to perform as and when needed. Pillars we can so easily adopt and mimic to help us set goals and get goals.
goal-setting: ATHLETES HAVE A CLEAR VISION
Goal-setting is where we turn a dream into something that’s much more likely to happen, providing direction and purpose. The goals athletes initially set are big ones; an Olympic medal, breaking world records, winning the league, etc. From there, they work backwards to set a whole bunch of smaller goals which they can evaluate, and then adjust, as and when necessary.
For example, winning an Olympic medal or winning a competition is probably a common goal for elite sports people but in order to be in the competitions as a competitor, there are often playoffs, trials, and heats to place in. Making sure fitness is peaking at the right times includes a whole host of metrics and measurements to ensure everything is on the right track; mentally, physically and emotionally.
Interestingly, the goals are challenging and higher than an athlete’s current level of performance. Not out of reach, but requiring growth.
That said, all goals will be SMART goals in that they’re: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.
–> We too can benefit from setting SMART goals for ourselves and reverse engineering them. We’re more likely to take the first step, stay motivated, and achieve. According to research conducted by the Dominican University of California, when we write down our goals, we’re 42 per cent more likely to achieve them.
With that in mind, here’s a free downloadable SMART Goal Worksheet.
GOAL-GETTING: Athletes visualise success
Once they have their goal locked in, these athletes spend time visualising success – every nuance of it. They visualise the minute details such as the environment and tap into their senses to do so; what emotions will they feel when they’ve done it, what sounds, sights, tastes and smells will they experience, in the arena, in the pool on the track, during, before, and after.
It’s a mental rehearsal of sorts and enhances performance by activating similar neural pathways as actual physical practice. In a study “From mental power to muscle power – gaining strength by using the mind“, Dr. Guang H Yue demonstrated the effectiveness of visualisation in sports performance. When weightlifters were asked to visualise themselves lifting weights, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that the same neural networks in the brain were activated as when they were physically lifting the weights.
All of this mental rehearsing increases confidence too. Doing something that might seem daunting is much less so once you’ve mentally rehearsed it going well hundreds of times. In his book No Limits: The Will to Succeed, Michael Phelps – who is the most decorated Olympian of all time with a whopping 28 medals – spoke of as a teenager “watching the videotape”, visualising winning competitions.
–> Whatever our goals, we can adopt and adapt this technique to help prime us for success. Whether that’s in passing a driving test or exam, delivering a speech, the first day at a new job, getting a book deal, or even in handling conflict.
What Athletes Teach Us About Goal-Setting And Goal-Getting Share on XAthletes favour routine
Athletes are sticklers for their routines because it’s a reverse-engineered blueprint for their success. When and what they eat, when, where and how they’ll train, downtime, it’s all carefully considered and time-blocked out.
The word “routine” itself can have us feeling all trapped and limited but when we want to achieve a goal, a routine can really set us free. You see, a routine takes the guesswork out of it all, giving your preparations structure and consistency, lending itself to focus and progress. Rather than have a lofty goal looming somewhere over the horizon, a series of manageable tasks, timelines and habits can minimise burnout, going off track, and decision fatigue.
–> When it comes to goal-getting, having dedicated time earmarked to work on the tasks required, can reduce stress and overwhelm. The right routine, one which allows space for downtime, can have a grounding and comforting effect, acting as a roadmap towards an achievement we’ve determined as important to us.
athletes don’t go it alone
They’re mindful about building a support system of people with the skills, talents, guidance, and mindset, which will support their goals, take care of certain tasks/areas, raise them to where they need to be and for accountability. This is made up of professionals like coaches, sports psychologists, strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists, physiotherapists, massage therapists, agents, managers, their sporty peers and their loved ones.
–> We’re often told “it takes a village” to do XYZ but there are many of us who don’t have “a village” and the mental toll of that is exhausting. While it’s not easy, we can build support networks for ourselves. Slowly but surely. Sometimes that might be from afar where we benefit from the wisdom and knowledge in books and documentaries. Other times, it might be asking someone to mentor us, joining a group, a membership, taking a course, or attending workshops and conferences. Oftentimes, it’s hiring people a business coach, a VA, a someone with the skills we need to help propel us forward.
for Athletes, rest and recovery are crucial
When we’re feeling highly motivated, passionate and inspired, making space for downtime is difficult. Taking action brings with it a sense of achievement, dopamine hits, it feels good to be making progress. There’s always something we could be doing and sometimes we turn those “coulds” into “shoulds” and beat ourselves up with them.
If an athlete were to forgo rest and recovery time, they’d likely cause themselves an injury. Their motivation would likely wane and they’d notice that their progress would slow down. There’s only so much stress our bodies can be put under before it will force a break. Being forced mentally and emotionally to stop makes it much harder to get going again.
Rest and recovery days are, believe it or not, where a lot of the magic happens. Muscles grow and repair, you stay motivated, your cortisol levels moderate, you gain insights and perspectives within the slower pace, the mental break aids sleep and mental well-being, and you get the chance to spend time with loved ones and connect, as well as do things for fun.
–> When we’re all go, go, go, we can easily lose sight of the bigger picture. Our goal suddenly becomes all-consuming and can have a detrimental influence on our health and relationships. Remind yourself that not only are you worthy, yes worthy, of taking time to relax and recuperate no matter your occupation or situation, but there’s magic that happens when you do.
Athletes play the percentage game
Games and races are won on the margins. Sometimes those margins are infinitesimally small – a point, a fraction of a second. In sports, percentages matter. Massive results can be achieved when we focus on making incremental improvements. When coaches and athletes focus on making incremental improvements in every aspect of their sport, from technical skills to fitness, nutrition, recovery, and mental preparation, the cumulative effect is astounding.
One of the famous adopters of this “1%” approach is Clive Woodward. He took the head coach position with the England Rugby Team in 1997. From the get-go, along with the coaching staff, he would study match footage, review statistics and analysis, to identify where the team could gain an advantage, whether it was in scrums, lineouts, tacking, or other aspects of play. They’d work with players to implement strategies or techniques aimed at improving performance in those areas. It was all about looking to see where they could improve by 1% and how they could marginally gain a 1% advantage over their opposing teams. That team went on to win the Rugby World Cup in 2003.
“Winning the Rugby world cup was not about doing one thing 100% better, but about doing 100 things 1% better.”
Clive Woodward
–> The very best thing about taking care of the 1% is that it’s so accessible to all of us and in all areas of our lives. It feels doable, right? In business, playing the (small) percentage game can be applied to productivity or cost reduction. When it comes to our goals, chipping away at the 1% often ends up hitting a ‘tipping point’. Consistent action, no matter how small, leads to significant progress and a building of momentum, eventually tipping the scales in favour of the goal you’ve been working towards. My friend, Gabrielle Treanor has written The 1% Wellness Experiment which shows how we can apply the cumulative effect of focusing 1% of our day on improving our lives leading to increased health and happiness.
Whether you’ve had a dream nagging away at you for a while, there’s something you need to complete to help you progress through school or your career, or you’ve just made a decision to go after something, you’ve so got this.