Mind Tools - Sports Psychology - Achieving Goals and Feedback

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Achieving Goals and Feedback

Achieving Goals

When you have achieved a goal, take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having achieved the goal. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards other goals.

If the goal was a significant one, or one that you had worked towards for some time, take the opportunity to reward yourself appropriately.

Feedback: Failure

Where you have failed to reach a goal, ensure that you learn the lessons of the failure. These may be:

that you didn't try hard enough
that your technique was faulty and needs to be adjusted
that the goal you set was unrealistic
etc.

Use this information to adjust the goal if it was set too high, or to set goals to acquire new skills or build stamina. Feeding back like this turns everything into a positive learning experience - even failing to meet a goal is a step forward towards perfect technique!

Remember that the fact of trying something, even if it does not work, often opens doors that would otherwise have remained closed.

Feedback: Success

Where you have achieved a goal this should feed back into your next goals:

If the goal was easily achieved, make your next goals harder
If the goal took a dispiriting length of time to achieve, make the next goals a little easier
If you learned something that would lead you to change goals still outstanding, do so
If while achieving the goal you noticed a deficit in your skills, set goals to fix this.

Remember too that goals change as you mature - adjust them regularly to reflect this growth in your personality. If goals do not hold any attraction any longer, then let them go - goal setting is your servant, not your master. It should bring you real pleasure, satisfaction and achievement.

Where Goal Setting Goes Wrong Goal Setting Summary

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