Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Setting Goals

The ski season spans about three months, and you will be amazed how quickly that will pass. Make something out of this time: and to do this, set goals. And make them "SMART" goals:

Specific
"I want to get better at skiing" is not specific. "I want to finish in the top half at a race" is specific.

Measurable
"I want to finish in the top half at a race" is measurable. How can you decide if you've met your goal if you can't measure it?

Attainable"I want to ski for the U.S. Olympic team at Sochi 2014" is not attainable. What's attainable will be different for everyone, but you will surprise yourself at what you can achieve if you commit to it. You can take a lofty goal and make it happen by breaking it down into bite-sized attainable pieces.

Relevant
"I want to write the next great American novel", while admirable, isn't relevant to skiing. There are things besides skiing fast that could be relevant. "I want to cheer my teammates on for their entire race when I'm not skiing" is an example.

Time-bound
Set deadlines: "I want to finish in the top half at a race by the end of December". This is an element that's really easy to forget or procrastinate, which makes it especially important to focus on.


I'll be hoping to talk with you about your goals for this season, so spend a little time thinking about what you want to get out of it.

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