The Simple Basics of Goal Setting

Did Siphiwe Tshabalala see the goalposts when he scored that magnificent goal during the opening match of the 2010 soccer world cup?

Imagine this….

South Africa plays Mexico in the opening match of the 2010 soccer world cup. The stadium is packed with 84,490 fans, the majority of whom are SA supporters. The atmosphere is electric.

Our team is not doing too bad considering that at the time, Mexico is ranked 17th in the world and SA is only 83rd! In the 50th minute of the match, Mexico prepares to make a change. One of their players is warming up on the sideline and the team is momentarily distracted. South Africa receives the ball and begins to move towards the Mexican goal. We started to make some headway in midfield and the crowd can feel like something could come out of this and get behind the team. We are now moving quickly towards the Mexican goal and just as we approach the attacking area, our midfielder, Kagiso Dikgacoi, sends a perfect 40-yard pass down the left flank. This allows Siphiwe Tshabalala to run behind the Mexican defender. He picks up the ball with his left foot, moves at a good pace, cuts inside the field, stabilizes, looks up… and there are no goalposts! There is nothing to love!

Now, with that in mind, imagine your own world cup of goals. Do you have goal posts? When you look up, can you see them? Do you have something to aim for or do you just hope that in 5-10 years you will end up in “Somewhere”?

Goal setting is a simple business. But sometimes we unnecessarily complicate things by believing that goals have to be BIG. “In 5 to 10 years I want a Porsche” “I want to have my own business” “I want a holiday home in Spain”

We say from 5 to 10 years because it is very far. There is no real commitment or pressure to achieve it.

Remember: if it is not written, it is not a goal, it is a dream.

Now there is nothing wrong with having dreams as long as you have realistic goals that you can achieve while working on the dream.

I don’t think we have the ability to monitor and track a 5 or 10 year goal, it’s too far away and we get distracted and bored and then give up.

Most people want things, not goals. We want to possess things, not just desire them.

I think there are 3 types of goals you should focus on if you want to achieve your dreams.

Long-term. Short term. and immediate goals.

A long-term goal is 1 year. This could be a boat cruise valued at R 10,000.00. That is achievable.

Long-term goals can be adjusted if necessary. If you have to adapt and it takes 14 or 15 months to achieve the boat trip, it is still an achievement. It’s something you wouldn’t have achieved if you hadn’t had the goal in the first place.

A short-term goal is 3-6 months. This could be a new dishwasher valued at R 3,000.00. That is achievable.

And an immediate goal is something you can do right now, within 24 hours. Service the car.

Something you’ve been putting off for a long time. Write it. Make it a priority.

Phone and book the service. Once your car has been fixed, check it off the list. Then add another immediate target to the list.

When you get the dishwasher, check it off the list. Then add another 3-6 month goal to the list. The important thing here is to get in the habit of setting and achieving goals.

This builds confidence in your ability to set and achieve goals. It is not the size of the goal that is important, the important thing is to achieve what you set out to do.

Make a list of goals you want to work on. Then break them down into long, short, and immediate goals. Then take each list and prioritize your goals and start working on them.

We are excited to own things. That is what drives us and motivates us.

You need something that motivates you to get out there and take action. You need attainable goals.

So, did Siphiwe Tshalbalala see the goal posts? Of course he did. How else could he have been so precise? He hit the ball with power and precision and blasted it past Oscar Perez into the top left corner of the net because he had something to aim for: GOAL POINTS!

What about your goal posts, can you see them? Do you have something to love?

Without GOAL POSTS, you simply cannot score goals. Even if your name is Siphiwe Tshabalala!