The paradox and the key element in goal setting is to set realistic, yet impossible goals. All progress comes from people that have achieved the impossible. These people knew they had the skills and abilities to do something no one else had ever done and then dared to do. They ignored what everyone was saying, stood firm and worked hard to accomplish what others thought they were silly to do.
When Johnny Bench was a second grader, his class was discussing what they wanted to be when they grew up. When it was Johnny’s turn, he told the class that he wanted to be a professional baseball player. The class laughed at this and the teacher told him that he might want to think of other things he might want to do in case that didn’t work out. Johnny disregarded this and stuck with his big goal. In the sixth grade, his class was involved in a similar activity. Again, Johnny informed the class of his goal to be a professional baseball player. Again, everyone laughed and the teacher urged him to come up with a back-up plan. During his junior year, Johnny’s social studies class was visited by their guidance counselor to discuss what their plans for the future were. Once again, Johnny informed the class of his goal to be a professional baseball player. This time, however, no one laughed and the counselor didn’t try to guide him in a different path. Johnny had become an outstanding baseball player and now everyone could see that his once impossible goal was now attainable, something Johnny had known the whole time. Johnny Bench went on to be a hall of famer and arguably the best catcher in the history of Major League Baseball.
Johnny Bench dreamt big and attacked a goal that he knew was attainable even when others thought it was impossible. People mocked Columbus’s belief that the world was round. No one dreamed that Edison could accomplish what he did in his lifetime. These men and all successful people go after goals that others deem impossible. They know they have the skill set to accomplish what they do and work doggedly to achieve goals.
When creating your goals, remember to dream big. Go after something that is out of your reach now, but with hard work, can be accomplished. I share a poem with our players every year when they are preparing to write their goals. We also revisit this poem in the season to remind them of their goals and how to accomplish them.
DREAM BIG
If there ever were a time to dare, To make a difference, To embark on something worth doing, It is now. Not for any grand cause, necessarily – But for something that tugs at your heart, Something that’s your aspiration, Something that’s your dream. You owe it to yourself to make your days here count. Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.
Dream Big.
Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days, And there will be bad days. There will be times when you want to turn around, Pack it up, and call it quits. Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself, That you are not afraid to learn by trying.
Persist.
Because with an idea, Determination, and the right tools, YOU can do great things. Let your instincts, Let your intellect, And your heart guide you.
Trust.
Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. Of doing something that makes a difference. Of working hard. Of laughing and hoping. Of lazy afternoons. Of lasting friends. Of all the things that will cross your path this year. The start of something new brings the hope of something great. Anything is possible. There is only one you. And you will pass this way only once.
Do it right.
-Author Unknown
“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.” This is an essential element of goal setting and being successful. Make big goals, believe in them and get to work. Seek out what you truly want in life, write down the plan and work feverishly every day to achieve it. It will be a difficult path with twists and turns, but when you stay the course and believe in the mission it can and will be accomplished. What and how we think leads us to who we become. When we convert our thoughts and dreams to goals, it solidifies our belief in what we think and inspires us into positive action.
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