Goal Setting and Monitoring
In the months following london and U23 worlds I have been thinking a lot about how we set goals and monitor these effectively. From my own experience, I have found many of my goals I set with good intentions have been lost or abandoned in the calamity of everyday life. The problem at the heart of this was these goals set with no way of measuring them effectively, such as getting an A in my exam, or spending more time on guitar playing. The goals I've had most success with have been subjective rather than objective, and follow a continual process of experimenting and redesign. In the months leading up to Worlds, I set small objectives before training camps such as working on anticipatory footwork on the mark, or putting in work early on D. I believe these goals, although seemingly small helped me improve facets of my game much more effectively, as it gave me confidence to improve noticeably in these areas.
What is it I want most?
A big problem I've had in the weeks following London and Worlds is finding a new fire, a personal drive to keep me going through the toughest times (AKA this semester). Although mixed nats is coming up, and I'm pumped for that in some ways but I cant always be focusing on ultimate, I need breaks from it especially for my broken body's sake. Enter my creative side and music. I've always wanted to find a good group to jam with and explore my musical side more but this but between study, work over the summer, organizing OB and everything else ultimate, time hasn't exactly been an abundant resource. Although I haven't had a lot of luck with the mixtape club, this last half-semester I will keep at it and try get to know some musical folk,
Recently I have realized a big part of my motivation toward sport and life in general hinges on taking stock of personal improvement. What this means is personally knowing I'm getting better at a particular strategy or stepping outside my comfort zone. This has taken the form of attending a local music group, or getting through a tough gym session, and it just feels good to do. Lately through injuries and sickness I have not been able to train nearly as often, but I can use this opportunity to reflect and fully understand what makes me tick! I need to have a daily objective, which boosts my confidence levels, and lets me know I'm on the right path to my goals. Ideas for this could be diary writing (feeling great already), short workouts or throwing sessions, short study sessions. Key here is keeping sessions short and sweet, so I can fit everything I need to in a day and feel motivated that improving myself steadily.
I work hard, but is it the right cause?
In terms of my future career, I know I will always put in hard work toward a certain objective, but that effort wont necessarily help me in the long run, and may just be for others benefit. The work I;m doing at NZRL is a lot like this I feel. The challenge is doing the minimum for NZRL to meet the contract and get a decent reference at years end, but to always prioritize study and better work opportunity. I know I want to work in a practical environment with sportspeople, and performance analysis seems like a viable pathway for this. I need to keep my options open though and take all opportunity's that come my way, especially in athletics or hockey (just not league). Summer will be perfect for this. No rest for the wicked! Till next time, hopefully I can keep this blog updated once a week. Will see how that goes.
In the months following london and U23 worlds I have been thinking a lot about how we set goals and monitor these effectively. From my own experience, I have found many of my goals I set with good intentions have been lost or abandoned in the calamity of everyday life. The problem at the heart of this was these goals set with no way of measuring them effectively, such as getting an A in my exam, or spending more time on guitar playing. The goals I've had most success with have been subjective rather than objective, and follow a continual process of experimenting and redesign. In the months leading up to Worlds, I set small objectives before training camps such as working on anticipatory footwork on the mark, or putting in work early on D. I believe these goals, although seemingly small helped me improve facets of my game much more effectively, as it gave me confidence to improve noticeably in these areas.
What is it I want most?
A big problem I've had in the weeks following London and Worlds is finding a new fire, a personal drive to keep me going through the toughest times (AKA this semester). Although mixed nats is coming up, and I'm pumped for that in some ways but I cant always be focusing on ultimate, I need breaks from it especially for my broken body's sake. Enter my creative side and music. I've always wanted to find a good group to jam with and explore my musical side more but this but between study, work over the summer, organizing OB and everything else ultimate, time hasn't exactly been an abundant resource. Although I haven't had a lot of luck with the mixtape club, this last half-semester I will keep at it and try get to know some musical folk,
Recently I have realized a big part of my motivation toward sport and life in general hinges on taking stock of personal improvement. What this means is personally knowing I'm getting better at a particular strategy or stepping outside my comfort zone. This has taken the form of attending a local music group, or getting through a tough gym session, and it just feels good to do. Lately through injuries and sickness I have not been able to train nearly as often, but I can use this opportunity to reflect and fully understand what makes me tick! I need to have a daily objective, which boosts my confidence levels, and lets me know I'm on the right path to my goals. Ideas for this could be diary writing (feeling great already), short workouts or throwing sessions, short study sessions. Key here is keeping sessions short and sweet, so I can fit everything I need to in a day and feel motivated that improving myself steadily.
I work hard, but is it the right cause?
In terms of my future career, I know I will always put in hard work toward a certain objective, but that effort wont necessarily help me in the long run, and may just be for others benefit. The work I;m doing at NZRL is a lot like this I feel. The challenge is doing the minimum for NZRL to meet the contract and get a decent reference at years end, but to always prioritize study and better work opportunity. I know I want to work in a practical environment with sportspeople, and performance analysis seems like a viable pathway for this. I need to keep my options open though and take all opportunity's that come my way, especially in athletics or hockey (just not league). Summer will be perfect for this. No rest for the wicked! Till next time, hopefully I can keep this blog updated once a week. Will see how that goes.
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