Resetting Your Racing Goals | Head Games
In this article, Dr. Andrew Lewis offers insights into why it is important for athletes to reset goals and he outlines how to do that.
Few would argue that goal setting is essential both in and out of sports. Goals give you direction, motivation, and something to aim for. Yet, what happens when the goals that you set in the pre-season suddenly change due to unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances? The answer is you’ll need to adjust your approach and reset your goals. The situation is akin to sailing: when a yacht is suddenly hit by a wind from a different direction, the skipper immediately adjusts the sails in order to keep moving and ultimately reach the desired destination.
Start here: how to set goals
The goal-setting process helps you understand where you are headed. In short, it is a plan. It motivates you and gives you a purpose. Without goals, you can end up unsure of what to do and where you are going. When the race is on the line, riders who have goals can look to their plan to know what to do, while those without, may hesitate. Also, riders who do not set goals often lack motivation and fail to build confidence. One of the keys to building confidence is the step-by-step process of working towards your goals. On the flip side, choosing goals that are too ambitious can have the opposite intended effect; and can also hurt one’s confidence.
Goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and invariably linked to a time frame. We refer to these as smart goals. Given this, they should also be evaluated and reflected upon, on a continual basis – making them ‘smarter’ goals. When setting your goals, you must break them up into immediate, short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. These goals all feed into each other and one complements the next. Remember, somewhere in your goal-setting process, you might have to tweak or adjust things in order to reach your long-term goals. Another way to look at is: you may have to travel on a different road to reach your end goal.
How to change your goals
Simply recognizing that goals can change, is the first step. Goals are not set in stone but are fluid in nature. Learn to embrace this process. It is okay to constantly evaluate and assess your sports goals, and, if need be change and adapt them according to fluctuating circumstances and situations. A handwritten diary or journal tracking your goals and smaller daily achievements through your phone is a handy process of literally seeing your goals and, if need be, tweaking or even changing them due to life’s changing and unpredictable conditions.
Use your mobile phone to set daily reminders or countdown apps for when you want to achieve certain goals and adapt the time frame if need be. Motivational notes and posters set around your home or work desk serve as friendly reminders that can help you keep your eye on your long-term goal. These notes can be adapted and changed on a regular basis.
Telling friends and family what you’re working towards so they can offer support if need be, is a way to reflect on your goals and even get input from people who know you and have your best interests at heart. An ‘objective’ person close to us often gives us honest feedback on our goals and if they would require a bit of realistic adapting and changing.
Visualization activities can help you ‘see’ your goals and create different scenarios in your mind’s eye in reaching them. Regular meetings with your coach and Sport Psychologist can help you evaluate and review your current goals and adjust them if need be.
Like life, racing bikes does not always follow a straight line to the destination. Unforeseen interruptions may cause you to shift your goals and it is important to understand that is ok, it is normal. Having a flexible mindset and approach will help you navigate through change so as to ultimately achieve your end goal. //
About Dr Andrew Lewis | Andrew Lewis is a Health Professions Council of South Africa (SA) and Health and Care Professions Council (UK) registered Educational Psychologist with rooms in Stellenbosch and Somerset West. With a post-graduate qualification in Sport Psychology, he works with individual athletes and teams who compete at all levels―national and international; and those who compete for pleasure. Andrew also collaborates with institutions and schools and publishes Sport Psychology and Educational Psychology-related articles in peer-reviewed academic journals, newspapers and popular magazines. He also presents Sport Psychology workshops to other health professionals and athletes; as well as scientific papers at international and national conferences. Contact: info@andrewlewis.co.za