The Importance of Setting Goals
When I look back on my life, one of the consistent themes seems to be “change” (slightly paradoxical, I know). Over the course of my 15+-year professional career, I have played for 12 different teams based in 6 different countries, learned 2 new languages, and picked up a new sport…. and that doesn’t even begin to touch the surface of how I have changed as a person. Despite living in a constant state of movement and evolution, there is one thing that has stayed the same for me since I was 5 years old, and that is GOAL SETTING. No matter where I am or what I am doing, whether it be related to sports or relationships or hobbies, I am always setting new goals and dreaming new dreams.
I truly believe that regularly setting new goals is a big reason why I have gone so far in volleyball, and why I am constantly willing to try new things. Whenever I talk to young athletes, the first thing I iterate is the importance of setting goals, but I think it is a practice that serves absolutely everyone. Why is goal-setting so important??
1. Growth
When we set new goals, we set a reference for where we want to be in the future. Whether the goal is to win a medal at a national tournament, to increase your vertical by 2 inches, or to keep a positive mindset even when things aren’t going well, setting a mark for where we want to be pushes us to grow or be better. All of a sudden, our actions have a purpose, and we can take deliberate steps toward a specific benchmark, instead of just doing things for no reason. Being in pursuit of something, no matter how big or small it may be, helps us grow as individuals, and it is incredibly satisfying when we arrive at the destination. Goal-setting provides a diagnostic tool to evaluate our progress in a given area.
2. Accountability
By setting a new goal and being serious about achieving it, we become more accountable to ourselves and others. When teams discuss season/interpersonal goals, those become a focus for the whole group, and they keep everyone on the same page. When someone isn’t subscribing to what the team is trying to do, it is easy to reference goals to get everyone back on track. When you set a personal goal and are honest with yourself, you will know if you are doing everything you can to make your dreams a reality, and will be able to edit your process to make it happen.
3. Happiness
In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin talks about how growing and learning are great sources of happiness. She says, “Writing a novel provided the “atmosphere of growth” that, I was becoming more convinced, was essential to happiness… The satisfaction gained from the achievement of a large undertaking is one of the most substantial that life affords.” When we learn something new, or are in pursuit of a new goal, we are growing, and this leads to a surge of happiness. So, if nothing else, simply attempting to achieve a goal can bring us joy and make us feel warm and fuzzy :)
4. Short-term goals help us stay in the present. Long-term goals give us something to look forward to.
Today, it seems like everyone is always looking forward to what may come, instead of being immersed in the here and now. Setting short-term goals (for the day, for practice, for the week) helps us stay in the present, and brings a greater focus to what we are doing now. Constantly looking forward can be overwhelming sometimes, and taking the time to embrace what we are doing in this moment can be very refreshing. Long-term goals (for next year or the end of the season) give us something to build towards, and to look forward to in the future. Long-term goals usually require more work and more patience, but bring a lot of joy when they are achieved. Setting both short and long-term goals allows us to appreciate where we are, while growing and building for where we want to be.
I don’t think a day goes by that I am not setting some sort of goal. I have some big long-term goals, like winning an Olympic gold medal, that keep me hungry and constantly striving to do whatever it takes to be on top of my sport. I also set short-term goals to keep me focused on the details of my job, my relationships, etc. I set a goal every single day when I go to practice because I don’t want any training session to be wasted. For example, I may set a goal of hitting high line on every out-of-system set indoor, or to be stopped once the hitter starts their swing when I peel off the net on the beach. I also tell my coach what my goal is for that day so he can pay extra attention to what I am working on, and give me feedback during practice. This gives me a specific focus for every training session, and allows me to evaluate if I got better that day or not. If I did, that’s great. If not, then I have something that I can strive for the next day. I have learned that the difference between good and great is in the details, and I would much rather be great than good.
I hope this post has given you something to think about regarding your own goal-setting practices, and will inspire you to set a new goal for whatever you are doing today. If you do currently practice goal-setting, what are some goals you have made recently? Telling me may help keep you accountable :)
xo, Sarah