The Power Of Short Term Goals

I have studied high achievers for 25 years, including 23 as a television news reporter. Time and time again I saw the power of goal setting, especially short term goals.

Nick Missos was a Warsaw, Indiana 9th grader who wanted to be on the wrestling team. He had two things going against him: he was very weak, and he was legally blind. Nick spent a lot of time mashed to the mat when he first started. He had to grope to find his opponent because of his vision, and his lack of muscles led to extremely short matches.

Nick then did something many adults never do: he took the time to set and write down goals. More specifically, he set short term goals. They were brutally honest: to make it sixty seconds before getting pinned, to make it two minutes, and to make it a whole match.

It took him awhile, but he went a whole minute before getting pinned. Then two minutes. Then a whole round. He became stronger and steadily improved as a wrestler. He went the whole season without winning a match. Many kids would have quit, but Nick had taken the time to write down goals. That gave him extra strength and direction.

A year later, in his sophomore year, he won a match. The gratification was enormous. Success had not come overnight. It was hard, but worth it. As a professional speaker, I have used Nick's story across the country. It never fails to get a reaction.

So many adults in this country do not set goals. Many high school kids never even think of writing down specific goals. What are your short term goals?