It’s fun to get re-energized at the start of each new year, and be filled with wonderful aspirations to grow and improve. Unfortunately, like many, you may find your drive to achieve your most desired goals takes a hit at the first sign of struggle. Research shows that a high percentage of people quickly abandon their goals every year and fall right back into old habits.
Don’t follow the failure trend! You can start the New Year on a path to success by avoiding three common pitfalls and sticking to three important guidelines.
Pitfall #1 – DON’T Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
One of the main reasons people fall down on the job when making goals is that they try to tackle more than is humanly possible. When you set the achievement bar out of reach, you are failing before you even get started. You must be able to create a plan that is realistically attainable and one that fits within your time, energy and financial constraints.
Guideline #1 – DO Focus on First Things First
There’s nothing wrong with starting small. Starting is the most important accomplishment. Take some quiet time to make a list of all the goals you’d love to see become your reality in the new year, prioritize them, and then commit to tackling priority #1 on the list. Once you’ve got that goal completed, then you can refer back to your list and make a plan to tackle #2, and so on. Completing little goals can add up to something big over the course of an entire year.
Pitfall #2 – DON’T Try to Invest in Things You Can’t Control
In golf and life, there are many things that we wish we could change, but they aren’t in our sphere of influence. As you consider the things on your 2018 to-do list, be sure to delete the items that you can do nothing about. Second to setting goals out of reach, setting goals around things you can’t control is the next best way to fail fast.
Guideline #2 – DO Refine Your Primary Process
Most of my clients set their goals around improving outcomes, as opposed to figuring out how improve their processes in the game. Outcomes are not within your direct control, and can cause you to lose sight of where advances actually take place. If you aren’t happy with the results you’re getting in your rounds, then start by examining the effectiveness of how you plan for every shot. The most significant and high impact goals you can set will revolve around your thinking habits, confidence, mental imagery, attitude, self-image and focus, to name a few. And all of these elements play a role in the strength and consistency of your pre-shot routine.
Pitfall #3 – DON’T Strive to Achieve Perfection
There’s no perfect in golf, so stop expecting to hit perfect shots. There’s nothing wrong with striving to hit consistent, and high quality shots. Just make sure that when you give a shot your best focus, best effort, and best strategy that you celebrate your accomplishment instead of picking it apart because it didn’t feel perfect, or fly perfectly, or land perfectly on your chosen target.
Guideline #3 – DO Continually Push Beyond Your Comfort Zone
As much as I advise my clients to avoid the trap of perfectionism, I encourage them to push well past average too. Wanting to play in your comfort zone will never be as fulfilling as you think it might be. That’s where complacency and stagnation rule. You’ll never know the full extent of your current ability if you regularly aspire to average because you’re afraid to reach for excellence. Your mindset matters so much in this game. Set the bar within reach, but where you actually have to stretch yourself to be your best, and not just to the point where things are easy.
For more information on how you can harness the power of your mental game be sure to check out my self-study, group and private coaching options. If you don’t know which is the right choice for you, simply CLICK HERE here to complete my online intake form and book a free consultation with me.
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