The Power of Goals - Monday Inspiration (2 Minute Read)

Imagine a soccer game without goal post, or baseball without a base or football game without the endzone or a touchdown line! Imagine for a moment that you bought a ticket to a soccer game only to find out there were no goal post! All the players did was run around the field kicking the ball and no one earned points because no goals were scored. I bet you will demand a full refund and even more for wasting your precious time!

This sounds really funny and rather absurd but in reality many behave like the soccer player running around the field without being able to score a goal because - there was no goal posts in the first place!

The simple fact that there is a goal post in a game of soccer directs all effort on the field towards putting the ball behind the net. Right from the ball at kickoff, all effort is directed at getting the ball past the goalkeeper into the opponents net.

All the backroom planning, training sessions, match reading, opponent analysis and everything is about a simple question: ‘how do we get the ball past the goalkeeper into the net as many times as possible and how do we prevent the opponent from doing the same.

In life and career, we must set up goal post - milestones, markers to which we direct our efforts to achieving.

If we don’t set goals, we face the possibility of wasted efforts chasing shadows instead of working on the things that matter.

Goals determine input, level of effort and ultimately, the outcome. Goals improve focus. Goals harness resources that hitherto would have not been accessed. Goals streamline actions and makes sure all activities that will not lead to goal attainment are pruned off. Goal enable a form of tunnel vision and laser focus needed to high performance.

In the words of Les Brown:

Shoot for the moon, even if you don’t reach the moon you’ll probably land on the stars

I have never stopped setting big goals for myself, even when I don’t hit my goals, I am better off than where I began.

Goals should make you feel uncomfortable so that you constantly ponder what it will take to achieve them. That way you wake up every morning with something to pursue and overcome!

To your success!