Targets are a great way to measure your improvements and steps to success. Having a specific destination can keep your motivated and focused which are important attributes to succeed.
I use two targets when I am racing: “bottom line” and ” stretch targets”. My bottom line target is to finish healthy. My stretch target is usually a time goal. When I get really good, I may focus on placing in my age group (ie top 5).
My bottom line is always my primary target. If I do not feel good in the race or if my heart rate sky-rockets, I will slow down until I feel better - regardless of how this impacts my time. Just to finish a triathlon race is an achievement and no race is more important than my health.
My stretch target is a time goal which reflects improvements in my personal best time. I sit down before each race after looking at the course, observing conditions and talking with people and write down my expected time for each section and an overall time target. I write two targets - one attainable and the other ideal. In my last race, I hit my attainable time to the minute! Which means that I judged the course and my performance accurately.
In your areas for improvement, what is your bottom line? What is the most important factor? If your bottom line is that I will see my children before they go to bed, then your quest to break all sales records will have to be completed until office hours. And you may need to turn down a few requests for late night socializing with clients. If your bottom line is that no matter how busy work gets you will always keep Sunday as a family day, then you will need to turn off your devices (hard I know!) on Sunday and ‘train’ your colleagues to avoid calls and meetings on Sunday.
For your improvement area, what is your stretch target? What is attainable and what would be ideal? If you wish to lose weight, what is an attainable amount to lose every month? What would be ideal? Remember to discover people like you, who you can talk with and learn about ways to stretch and improve. Who is in your support group? For my triathlon training, I have a bike club I ride with. For my personal development, I am a member of a coaching circle. Which group can you join that share your aspirations for better performance?
Keep stretching and improving, but remember your bottom line target. What won’t you give you to achieve your targets? Good luck, keep healthy and make change happen.