This weekend you’ll be at the beach, lounging, swimming, and enjoying your time with friends. Next week, you’re hopping on the bus, backpack and equipment bag in tow. Summer is over and you’re not quite ready to get back into the swing of things. A new year means new beginnings. In sport, this means the start of preseason and anticipation of the hectic, schedule-ridden season(s) ahead. As much as we love our sports, sometimes it’s hard to get motivated.
One simple word can help reframe the upcoming year…WHY? WHY are you going through the endless drills, WHY are you doing sprints and conditioning, WHY are you throwing yourself headfirst into the season all that’s still to come? There’s a reason. And whatever the reason, you need to know it and own it.
Knowing your WHY means seeing past the “blood, sweat, and tears” – if you will – to the bigger picture. Your WHY is your driving force, your motivation when things get tough; it’s your end goal. There’s no right or wrong WHY, but the consequences of not knowing your WHY contribute to that margin of difference between a great athlete and an elite athlete.
Once you’ve found your WHY, write it down. Make it permanent and tangible. Keep it somewhere you can reference when the going gets tough and you have to keep going! Use it as a springboard for goal setting: what are the intermediary steps you need to achieve in order to reach your end goal?
Use S.M.A.R.T goal setting: S.pecific M.easurable A.ction-oriented R.ealistic T.ime sensitive
For more on effective goal setting, take a look at: http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/resource-center/resources-for-athletes/principles-of-effective-goal-setting/
Goals are empowering. They help us track our progress and continue on an upward path to excellence. When we know, understand, and own our WHY, we’re able to better funnel our effort and maintain consistency in our performance.
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