Goal Setting for 2025
2025 is upon us- and the ticking over of the calendar year gives us a chance to reflect on the 12 months gone, and look excitedly upon the next 12 months ahead.
What better way to start off the year as an athlete than with some goal setting.
Why set goals?
It is well known that goal setting serves to enhance athletic performance.
Goals, whether these are long or short term, outcome or process based, can be used to:
- direct our attention/focus
- motivate our effort and guide our decision making
- prolong our persistence (you know that little voice in your head telling you it hurts and maybe cut a corner?)
- encourage new learning (eg. What if I tried doing this a different way?)
- build confidence when we reach milestones along the way
Essentially, goals can enhance our performance by directly influencing our psychological state. And we know that our psychological state plays a major part in our physical performance!
“I’ve tried setting goals before but I always give up”. Sound familiar? This might be a good opportunity to ask yourself “why?”.
Firstly, if we want to achieve them, goals should not be something we set and forget.
No matter how much thought and energy we put into the initial goal setting session, how can they serve all of the above if we only look at them once and then never again?
Other common breakdowns in goal setting can include:
- goals being too broad
- setting goals that are unrealistic or too challenging (due to time, skill level, access to facilities/coaches etc)
- setting goals that are not challenging enough!
- not knowing where to start with a goal (or who can help you), so not starting at all.
- setting too many goals to know which one to prioritise.
To get you started on effective goal setting for 2025, see some tips below:
- Make your goals SMART. Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Realistic and Timely.
- Don’t just set long term goals. Set some short term AND process goals that help you along the way.
- Make your goals Stick them on your mirror/bedroom wall/ locker/save to your phone screen. Get creative!
- Enlist some goal support – who is in your A-team? Who will keep you accountable on those days you aren’t feeling it?
- Set goals that are difficult enough to challenge you… but realistic enough to achieve. This will grow your CONFIDENCE when you achieve it.
- Evaluate your goals. Track your progress! Adjust. Plan for re-evaluation.
- Modify them if they no longer serve the right purpose (eg. You incur an injury- how relevant is your goal now?)
- Focus on one goal at a time…. as a starting point!
Lastly, a good question to ask yourself is “Why is achieving this goal important to me?”. This is a good way to check in that the goals you are setting are the right ones for you.
So, what is it you want to achieve in 2025? Let’s chat if this is something we can assist you with.
This article was written by Alicia. You can make an appointment with Alicia by getting in contact with us. Alicia is a provisionally registered psychologist completing her psychological internship at Focus Performance Psychology. This internship year follows 5 years of APAC accredited psychological study on the pathway to full general registration as a psychologist.
Intern Psychologists with FOCUS Performance Psychology
- engage in weekly supervision with Senior Psychologists,
- participate in specialised professional development programs
- and have daily contact with senior psychologists.
- their treatment plans are discussed and reviewed regularly with their supervisor
- and they provide individual consultations at a reduced rate of $135 (however no medicare rebates)
Alicia has a long interest in both high performance and human behaviour –and enjoys working in partnership with individuals who seek to enhance their performance by attending to the mental side of their game.
With an extensive background in elite and professional sport, Alicia understands the pressures of high performing environments and understands both the challenges and triumphs it can present.
Alicia adopts a caring and friendly approach when working collaboratively with clients in the phases of setting behavioural goals, providing psychoeducation, and developing psychological skillsets tailored to their performance goals and needs.
It is Alicia’s hope that her work with clients will foster athlete independence in applying their new knowledge and skillsets to bring about improved performance and help reach their personal goals.