Setting goals? Aim even higher
A simple trick to help you maximize your potential.
Aim for the moon. If you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
Ever heard that quote? You see it all the time on the internet, and it’s rather cheesy.
But there might be something to it, at least if you ask Dr. Bob Rotella, who is one of the country’s most renowned sports psychologists. Rotella has worked with athletes of all sports, performers from all arenas and executives from all industries. Rory McIlroy. LeBron James. Jim Furyk. Tony Bennett and Virginia basketball. He’s got quite the rolodex.
Over the summer, I read Rotella’s book, “How Champions Think: In Sports and in Life.” In it, Rotella includes a lot of wisdom he’s used with his clients.
One of his biggest lessons: Set lofty goals. At times, intentionally aim higher than you believe possible. DO NOT be realistic.
Trying to do 50 push-ups? Shoot for 70. Trying to run a mile in under seven minutes? Shoot for closer to 6:30 than 6:55. Whatever you do, don’t be too realistic. In Rotella’s view, people who are too realistic are subconsciously limiting themselves.
Rotella’s work is big in the golf world. In his book, he uses the example of Tiger Woods chasing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships. Woods has 15, which is second in history behind only Nickalus. While impressive, Rotella believes if Woods aimed to clear Nickalus’ record by a few majors, he might actually be tied with him. Aim for 20 major championships, land at 18 — or something along those lines.
Now, is this always possible? No. It’s entirely possible that Woods could’ve dreamed of winning 30 majors. It doesn’t mean he could’ve won 20. But Rotella’s point is this: Setting loftier goals allows your mind to break barriers.
If you put all your energy into one day running a sub-6 minute mile, then you’ll see 5:55 as the top of the mountain. But what if you could beat that? What if you created a new mountaintop in your mind?
I thought about Rotella’s points the other day as I had a similar — though not identical — situation. I was running in Tempe on a path that goes all the way to Mesa, and it was a beautiful morning. I began running and I felt OK. It’s dry here and that’s different than the Southern humidity.
I felt warmed up after a mile. I felt all right after three.
Mile 5: This is nice.
Mile 6: I actually feel pretty good.
Mile 7: What if I ran 10 miles?
Mile 8: I feel good and am having fun, so what about 13 miles? I’ve always wanted to do a half-marathon.
Before this, I’m fairly sure my longest distance was 10 miles and change. I’ve done that a few times, and I’ve been utterly cooked during the last mile. But this time, something was different. By mile 8, I had it in my head that I was going to try for a half-marathon. So when I reached mile 9, I knew I wasn’t nearing the finish line — I still had 4 miles and change. I reached 10 miles and … kept going.
Eventually, I had run 13.2 miles, which is slightly more than a half-marathon. And, yes, if you’re wondering, I wish I would’ve just signed up for a half-marathon somewhere and done this, because at least I would’ve gotten the medal.
I realized something really powerful during this run: My mind made the last 4 miles possible. I was already shooting higher than 10, so it seemed normal to go over 10.
You’ve probably experienced a phenomenon like this. Maybe you’ve felt sick or work or an event, but you don’t feel crappy until after it finishes — because you knew in your mind that you had to be at your best for it. Or maybe you anticipate something at the doctor’s office hurting so badly that, in the end, it’s not so bad at all.
Everyone who has ever covered baseball understands the pain of going to bed at 2 a.m. after a game, then waking up at 4 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight. I’ve had too many nights of one or two hours of sleep to count. It. Is. Brutal. As fun as the job is, you’re a zombie in an Uber to the airport at times. But 20 hours later, I’d finish covering a game in the next city. How? Because I knew in my head all day that it was going to be a long day. You prepare for it.
This is the same sort of concept that Rotella mentions, except his is related to goals. When you set them, aim high. Yes, it’s important to have smart and realistic goals. You don’t want to destroy your confidence by holding yourself to an unreachable standard. That’s not good. But try to think bigger.
Set the goal. Then think bigger. Broader. More impossible. This allows your brain to begin visualizing something you never thought possible, and it might actually help you exceed your original goal.
When I first started at Arizona State, the school had a slogan: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” It’s true, which is why visualization is such a popular technique among performance psychologists. If you can envision something, it allows your brain to soak it in, which makes it feel more possible and thus increases its chance of happening.
I’m going to save visualization for another post. I find it fascinating. But the concept fits well here. Help your brain redefine what’s possible. Don’t put limits on yourself.
When setting big-picture goals, aim for the moon, because landing on the stars isn’t so bad.