Last night I attended this meeting where they guest speaker was a Sports Psychologist; in fact, she deals with extreme sport athletes. What she shared over the next 15-20 minutes was a reminder of why it is important to set goals and have the right mindset.
Most people have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals and the acronyms often take on a slight difference. For this session they stood for S-specific, M-measurable, A-attainable, R-rewarding, and T-trackable or timely. We must all set goals. Write them down and journal our progress, if we really expect to obtain them.

Our daughter, Abbey, is an eventer, meaning she is an equestrian rider that competes in dressage, stadium jumping and cross country. It can be stressful as she is often hit with unknowns. On the other hand, she is also aware of most things that can go wrong at an event. When someone is struggling with a challenge, it is usually tied to one or a combination of issues -- physical, technical, emotional and/or general. Her greatest challenge at a competition is often around the emotional challenge. She is physically fit, she is a great rider and trains regularly, and she has a good balance at home and school. However, often at a competition stress takes over and it becomes an emotional battle. So, she must focus on her breathing and her goals, positively replaying her course and her success riding it, over and over mentally and focus as she readies to enter the ring. The body reacts to what the brain tells it, even if we are not in the middle of the activity, so positive focus (thinking) brings about positive results.

Keeping up with her journal and her challenges and charting her journey helps her to always improve upon her best. Have you ever wondered why some athletes have their quirks (i.e., wearing the same pair of lucky socks, kneeled victory prayer after a touchdown, or lacing their shoes a certain way)? Because they have charted their goals, made note of things that were specific to a challenged, yet victorious, and stuck to them.

Writing down your S.M.A.R.T. goals related to any challenge in life can help you obtain your personal best. Then journal your progress and determine what works and what doesn’t work. If something doesn’t work, change it. If something does, keep doing it as you will only get better. And, through it all, keep a positive attitude…if you dream it, you can achieve it!