I have not had an enormous amount of success with New Year’s resolutions UNLESS I connect them to my goals. I am a huge proponent of setting goals, especially with student-athletes. Let’s face it; many times, the grind of school and sports is simply not fun. It can’t always be fun, and if you are trying to avoid that reality, well… good luck with finding that fairy dust. A good set of goals helps the student-athlete stay on track and remember why the grind is worth it!

Setting goals, especially helping a child set goals, can be a tricky process. We all know what we want for them, right? Life would have been so much easier for all my children, and me, if they just wanted what I wanted for them and did what I said to do! And I am only semi-joking. The trick is finding “their goal, their dream, and what they are willing to do to get there.”

I like to take it in steps. Sorry, no quick fix fairy dust here. This article is step one. It is important to reflect on last year’s goals before you begin the process for this year. Find out what worked, and what didn’t work. You can learn a lot from what doesn’t work! As parents and coaches, we may know the answers, but the athlete must come to the answers themselves. So, to be clear…DO NOT “TELL” THE ATHLETE THE ANSWERS. Not that it is cheating; it is the well-known fact that people understand and remember things best when they figure it out themselves.

Before you can set goals, we need to do what Toni Nadal said in his Ted Talk. Here is a link to Toni Nadal’s article. “An athlete must accept reality. Be honest with yourself in your evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses. That is the first step to getting better. You can’t get better if you aren’t honest with where you are at that moment.”

First, Look at where you are today vs. the previous year. Parents and coaches may need to refresh the athlete’s mind.

Now, revisit the goals from the previous year. If you don’t have them written down, have a discussion to remember this time last year, or the last time you set goals. I recommend having a notebook for the goals each year. It is a great memory for the kids to look back and see their goals as a child.

10 Questions to ask your athlete before setting this year’s goals.

Go through each of your previous goals asking these questions:

1. What was the goal?
2. Did you follow through on the goal? How often did you work toward the goal? Why or why not?
3. Did you fail often? Or did you fail once and quit?
4. Did you achieve the goal?
5. Did this goal help you achieve your next goal level?
6. Looking back, was this goal appropriate? Was it attainable?
7. Were you willing to do what was needed to achieve this goal?
8. Do you find yourself making excuses about the outcome of this goal? Are you blaming someone? Or saying, “if only”?
9. What would you do differently this year with this goal?

To set our goals for this year, we must understand our success with last year’s goals. Truly be honest and reflect on the previous year, to move forward with appropriate goals so you can NAIL IT in 2020!

The next article will pick up after this process and examine where you want to go and how to map it out. “Goals without a plan is just a dream.”