The Benefits of Accurate Self-Perception, Self-Confidence and Goal Setting in Athletics (and Life!)
By Jean Bonnyman - FF/S
True self-confidence is based in action. Without a commitment to action, belief in your self is most likely just a fantasy. Self-confidence is challenging to maintain on a consistent basis because it varies due to good and bad events. Yet, champions are able to walk into every competition with confidence in their abilities to succeed.
To compete with self-confidence on a consistent basis, one must prepare ahead of time. Athletes who do this know their thinking style, they use mental rehearsal and they are able to control their mental pictures. Winners see what they want to see; losers see what they fear might happen. Winners also adhere to a continual goal-setting plan. To compete with self-confidence takes dedication and commitment to action by doing the work of mental training as well as physical training.
In my previous blog, I spoke of the importance of self-honesty, and connected to that one must make accurate attributions to their successes and failures. Accurate attributions and self-perception are so dependent on self-honesty; they are all connected to each other. A typical perceptual error in sport is thinking you have no ability when losing in stiff competition. This is an example of why it is so important to have an accurate goal-setting program and be “process oriented.”
If athletes are process oriented, they can succeed at their goals for that day even though they lost to a difficult opponent. They can still feel they are making progress. Of course, there are competitions where the intention is to win. However, there must also be those competitions where the intention is to build skills and gain experience. Playing only in easy completion causes anyone’s skills to stagnate. The athletes who wants to be the best they can be on a daily basis will choose competition where they have a 50% chance of winning most of the time.
The foundation to a process orientation in sport (or any achievement) is accurate goal setting. Correct goal setting is putting short-term goals in sequential order towards a long-term goal, knowing the sequence is frequently adjusted. Again, self-perception and attributions must be honest. Setting goals without making excuses is different from adjusting them. This is why coaches must be part of the goal-setting process.
An easy way to remember good goal setting process is this. They must be desirable (you want to do it), believable (you believe you can accomplish them), achievable (they can be accomplished with your abilities), conceivable (you can see yourself reaching your goal), controllable (focus on the things you can manage), and measurable (you can see progress accurately).
Remember, goals must be growth oriented at all times; a “growth attitude” is the best way to avoid anxiety and stay motivated. Of course, there will be times of difficulty, discouragement and frustration. This is all part of sport, and it is where the knowledge of needing to be persistent and patient is critical. People who are afraid to set goals are often afraid to try. Remember the only failure, is failure to try.
