Let’s take a look at a step by step process on how you can set both immediate and long term goals.

 

GOAL SETTING

Whether you’re trying to be the best you can be at sport, business or basically anything you want to put your mind to for that matter! Setting goals for yourself is a key ingredient to being successful! Both long term and short term goals are necessary to make sure you know what direction you are aiming for, while helping you achieve what you are after in the shortest period of time.

 

STEP 1- LONG TERM GOALS

The first step in goal setting is recording your long term goals. From there we can set our short term goals, or strategies as they are known, to help reach our long term goals. Long term goals are generally set over the period of a year or longer.

e.g. “By the end of the year I’d like to be someone in the top 5 in our B grade 250cc State Championships.”

 

KEEP IT REAL

It is very important when setting your long term goals that you keep it realistic. In other words, if you are a social cyclist who enjoys a fun local race on the weekend you may not want to set a goal that would involve winning a stage of the Tour de’ France. If your goals are not realistic then you set yourself up for disappointment each time you realise that you weren’t even in the same ball park as your original goal. For this reason it is important to set solid long term goals, but don’t set them in concrete as circumstances can change calling for a new set of goals. Who knows, you may even achieve your goal in half the time and have to set some new ones.

 

ALL ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

On the other hand, if you find that you are continuously achieving your long term goals with ease then you may want to look at setting slightly tougher goals for yourself. You may be feeling a sense of satisfaction in achieving what you set out to do, but unless you truly challenge yourself with tougher goals then you won’t be achieving your best.

 

STEP 2- SHORT TERM GOALS

Short term goals (Strategies) are how we keep tabs on our progress of achieving our long term goals. They are pretty much our stairs that take us to the top! Most of the guidelines for long term goals still apply for our short term goals.

You must keep them achievable (not impossible to achieve) while making sure that they are a challenge for you (not too easy to achieve.)

However, unlike our long term goals we actually have something solid to base our short term goals on. You must always set your short term goals with your long term goals in mind.

 

MEASURING STICK

Short term goals are basically a measuring stick to achieving the big one. They are set so that you hopefully have a smooth road to the top with some check points along the way to make sure you are on track.

e.g. If your long term goal is to be able to ride your MX bike for 30 minutes flat out without fading and your current fitness level only allows you to ride at your limit for 10 minutes before you’re cooked, then your short term goal would be to add 5 minutes of full intensity each month. At this rate you should be close to achieving your long term goal with plenty of time up your sleeve.

 

WRITE IT DOWN

The first step in goal setting is writing them down! Not just in a little black book or a scrap piece of paper, but write it nice and big and pin it up somewhere. Or grab a magnet and pop it on the fridge! It is a constant reminder of where you are headed. You may even want to tell someone. Perhaps your parents if you are a kid, or your partner if you are a bit older. This tends to ad a bit of pride to it and makes you feel that you are a part of a team trying to achieve goals.

 

REWARD YOURSELF

The reward system works great! Whether it is for a pet that you are trying to teach a new trick, or for yourself who has just achieved a major goal. Giving yourself a reward such buying that one thing you have been holding off on, or a bit of a holiday to your favourite destination is a great way to give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done. It is also a quick reminder that once completed it is time to knuckle down and set some new goals.

 

GO GET ‘EM

I know these are testing times that we are all going through with racing along with most luxuries in life being put on hold with the Corona Virus! However this is still the perfect time to put your new knowledge to the test and set yourself some goals. They may not necessarily be on race results for the moment, but why not start with some fitness goals. Or use your new goal setting skills to clean up your diet. You could even set yourself some social media strategies to make sure you are giving each of your sponsors the right amount of recognition that they deserve… Go get ‘em!