Jean and I really enjoy tight-skin sumo mandarins, and I set a goal on Feb. 1 to peel one in a single swoop by the end of the month. That is, I would begin at the top and peel the mandarin without having any break in the peel. I know, I know — you may think, “What a weird goal!” But I’m like that, always setting goals for things. Some are very large, highly significant goals; some are like this mandarin peeling.
Considering February had 28 days, by the seventh day I would get at least one-fourth of the way before breaking, one-half of the way by the 14th, three-fourths of the way by the 21st, and reach my ultimate goal by the 28th. I reached it on the 27th, which, even though seemingly insignificant compared to personal and world events, gave me an uplift and feeling of accomplishment.
This also emphasizes the point I’ve made with athletes, businesspeople and others — it’s important to reach smaller, quicker goals as we work to reach ultimate goals. We need the successes we experience along the way. We need the feeling of winning. We need the reinforcement that comes as we reach smaller steps on the way to the top.
Playing only three years (1968-1970) for LSU before the 3-point shot even existed, Pete Maravich holds the NCAA basketball scoring record, averaging 44.2 points a game over his career. And it all began when Pete was 2 years old. His father handed him a tennis ball and helped him toss it into a large basket at a low height.
Pete hit the first one he tried, enjoyed his success, and continued to hit. As he grew, his father progressively increased the ball sizes and goal heights while decreasing the rim sizes. This continued through the years, but it was all relative to Pete as his body and his subconscious mind worked together to make him the record setting scorer he became.
Winning at manageable things programmed him to become a winner with greater things. He not only owns the three highest single season averages in NCAA Division I history, but also the highest career total.
Remarkably, he scored 3,667 points in a mere 83 games. An ESPN writer suggested he may have averaged at least 50 points per game if the 3-point rule had existed because he loved putting up long shots.
Compare Pete’s example with that of a small child standing under a 10-foot basketball goal, lifting a full-sized basketball, and shoving the ball upward with a great heave, only to watch it come back down, getting nowhere close to the distant goal. It would not be surprising to see the child become discouraged and give up.
Keep in mind that a goal is a specific, measurable objective to be accomplished by a definite time. With this definition in mind, consider which of the following are goals: (1) make better grades in school (2) be a faster runner (3) save $1,500 for Christmas between now and Dec. 15 (4) lose weight (5) get along with people better and (6) bring my math grade up to 85% by the end of the semester.
If you said three and six are goals you are correct. Numbers one, two, four, and five are vague. They are good intentions but not specific, measurable tasks, and they involve no definite time frame or deadline.
Compare number one with number six and see the difference.
Think about these things as you consider your own short-term and long-term goals.
Carl Mays is a National Speakers Hall of Fame member and author of over a dozen books, including A Strategy For Winning (foreword by national champion football coach Lou Holtz). CarlMays.com
