New York, NY (September 2002) — You know you need to set goals for the season, for every tournament and even for practices. You also usually know where you want to end up, but what are the pitfalls?

There are some very specific things you don’t want to do when setting goals. Read on to find out what NOT to do:

Do Not Measure Yourself Against Other People — Your main competition is not the person you want to beat or someone ranked higher than you are. Your main competition is YOU. It makes sense to want to beat certain people or finish ahead of certain people, but that’s not a goal you want to set. Make your goals about yourself and your performance.
Don’t Wish Bad Performances on Other People — Don’t wish that other people lose or do badly. This takes your focus away from YOU achieving success. It will hinder your success. Jealousy and feeling bad about other people will lead to your joy being diminished and worse results. Be happy for other people’s success and push yourself to be the best you can be.
Lose the “I Am Missing Things' Mentality — Looking for the “perfect” practice and worrying about what you’re missing will ultimately destroy your joy for fencing. It will prevent you from achieving your best. Be present in your practices and bouting.

Note: This is the third in the Goal Setting Series. Please see #1 Setting Goals for the Season: Why it’s Important and #2 The Types of Goals You Can Set for the Season for more information.

Goal Setting Don'ts: What Doesn't Work

Tim Morehouse