Goal Setting

When setting goals you should ask yourself these questions. I filled it out as an example.

1. What Goal(s) do I want to achieve?

   • I wish to become an NCAA college baseball player

2. How can I make this goal as specific as possible?

   • By narrowing it down to a couple of schools
   • Obtain a full scholarship
   • Play for a division one school

3. What resources do I have [or skills] that will currently help me reach my goals?

   • I am the second best hitter on a team a year older than me
   • I am a member to a great baseball facility with major and minor leaguer instructors that help me
   • I practice baseball almost daily

4. What mini-goals do I NEED to set in order to achieve my goal?

   • I need to make a good high school baseball team
   • I need to get noticed in newspapers
   • I need to get scouts and recruiters to come to my games

5. By what date do you hope to achieve that goal by?

   • As a freshman in college I should be on a division one college baseball team
   • I want to be a starter in high school, I do not expect to start at the college level, but I strive to

Here are some ways to set your goals

Setting goals is the best way to achieve something. It is also very easy. Keep in mind that your goals should be achievable, not too hard and not too easy. There should also be deadlines for them. One could be making fifty dollars by the end of the week.

Getting that new action figure is not a goal. However, raising fifteen dollars for the action figure is a goal. If you play baseball and you are at a .250 batting average half way through the season; raising your average to .400 would not be realistic. A good goal for the end of the year would be a .275-.300 batting average.

Goals are meant to be changed. If you set a batting average goal of .400 and you’re at .200 halfway through the season, change your goal. Maybe you want five doubles before the end of the year, or to hit your first home run.

Have a plan to get to your goals. Setting a goal to become a lawyer is incomplete. Plan on going to law school, pulling a 3.0 GPA, practicing every other day, and keep adding to your mini-goals. Once you finish a mini-goal see if you can make another one. You don’t want to be over flown with goals, rather active with them.

This is probably the most important rule of thumb in setting goals. ALWAYS write them down on paper with a pen or pencil. Why write it on paper instead of on the computer? When you write it on paper it sticks in your mind much better than writing it on the computer. After writing it down on a piece of paper you can then type it, but make sure YOU have written it on a piece of paper.

Another good way to set goals is to have a goal poster board. Having some images also keep the goal fresh in your mind. As soon as you finish a mini-goal cross it off.

I hope you learned a lot about setting goals. Please comment and tell me if you liked it, also if you have any questions please ask me. I would greatly appreciate your feedback.