Your BIG problem with Goals and how to solve it

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Your BIG problem with Goals and how to solve it

A new year with new targets but it’s likely you need to bin some old plans
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Hi there

You’ve likely been thinking about 2009 for a good few months. Regular punters make their New Year’s Resolutions right now but racers make them all the time. A real racer is a goal setting machine. Goals are set and ‘resolutions’ made every month, every week, every day, every session outing.

Quality racing drivers and karters will often be saying to themselves such things as “I will do three cardio workouts this week”, “I will move up to cars by the end of this season”, “I will act on the plans to increase my budget by 25% by the end of next month”, “I will take Turn4 flat in the next outing”, “I will practise my mental skills for 30 mins by the end of today”. And on it goes.

We’ve already covered the 11 steps in high quality Goal Setting in Mindset for Racing. No need to repeat them.

However, an outcome driven racer such as you, can lose out on a consistently high quality performance when goals are clung to when they should be dumped.

What if, in the examples above, we’re four months on and even though you acted on your plans you’re still 15% shy on your budget increase? Either your plans weren’t good enough or your goal was too much of a stretch. Either way, change tack and reset the strategy.

* The Mindset for Racing Finish Line *

Even if you know, deep down, there are things you’ve committed to doing in the past that now are just not going to get done, they can be a real energy-sap and emotional drain if you don’t go through a quick process of binning them / writing them off.

If things haven’t been achieved or completed off plans / goal sheets / wall planners / to do lists and they’re dragging on then re-jig them with a new strategy or plain bin them. Get them out of your sight. Spare your time, money and energy for the ones that get you nearer to your major outcomes because otherwise you’re creating your own psychological and organisational drain. And such a drain will only ever reduce performance.

You know what the top guys do and what you should be doing, don’t you?

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Next Edition – Three reasons why learning to relax will make you a better racer

How well-drilled relaxation techniques increase your performance
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Happy New Year and here’s to you making 2009 your best racing year so far!

Enjoy your racing and never give up.

Regards

Mike

Mike Garth
Helping karters and racing drivers perform better
+44 (0) 7737 655 912
www.sun1400.com
Sun1400: Sunday 2pm - Ready to race?


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