Goals in Control

Are you going to give up? I watched my kids compete for an ice cream. They were small, still in grade school. I created a competition for ice cream. Whoever picked up the most yard waste won. The game quickly fell apart. Once a couple of my kids outpaced the others, only the front runners continued to try. My objective was to get all the kids working to help clean up the yard. I failed. What really happened was about 5 minutes into the 20 minute game the fun was gone.

The kids that were obviously going to lose didn't want to play anymore. They were correct. Why bother?

I learned the hard way. If I want myself or my team to continue to be engaged and compete till time is up or the goal is achieved, then I need to think about how the goal is defined.

There are three main types of goals:

1. Process Goals
   • This is the practice to be done. Reward the routine, the habit.
2. Performance Goals
   • Tracking progress and measuring the progress.
   • Upholding the standards.
3. Outcome Goals
   • Win the game.
   • Get the award.
   • Be first.

From https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-psychology/

Here's the hard part. You can wish for what is out of your control, like winning the lottery, but only set goals for what you can control. I can't control winning the big game. I can control effort practice, type of practice, length of practice. I can frame my attitude. I can practice communicating and being grateful.

Focus on all 3 types of goals, but only set outcome goals for what is in your control. Avoid the winner take all goals. One team I know set a goal to win all home games. They lost the first home game. Now with 11 more games to go at home, the goal remains unreachable. The impact was only negative. Would it be fun to win all the home games? Of course. Is it a good goal? No, not at all.

"Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment", by George Leonard, talks about loving the plateau. Love the practice. The will to win is worthless. Anyone can have the will to win. It's the will to practice that matters.

Set the standard. Goals will follow.