62 • THE PLAID HORSE
Your Greatest Potential for Success BY CATHY PENROD It is said that if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. What path will you be taking in 2015? Give yourself the greatest potential for success by creating goals that are clear from the inside out. Without the confusion of doubt and the thought process that there are solutions and opportunities for everything good and bad that crosses your path, success is usually not a matter of it, it’s only a matter of time. The process of mastery is a combination of planning, commitment, and evaluation/feedback – and then, if warranted, modification. How are you planning and creating powerful goals, so you can move in the direction of mastery? Are your goals based on performance expectations, outcome or mastering your ride?
YOUR IDEAL PERFORMANCE
Start with the end in mind by looking at your ideal performance. Imagine that you are riding at the top of your game. You are absolutely and completely satisfied in all ways including how you internally showed up for this performance. With as much detail as possible, what would you have done and accomplished? How would you feel before and after your performance? Now, imagine your performance is over, what feedback would you receive? How important are these comments? Now, think about the qualities, beliefs, attitudes, and skills you would need to have/ exhibit for this ideal performance to occur. With the above in mind, what goals and mind shift do you need to have to ride to your ideal performance?
DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOALS
Since we are all different and what motivates one versus another can vary significantly, set goals that work for you and will help you perform better. Here are types of goals, in increasing order of energetic power:
He who fails to plan is planning to fail. Winston Churchill
REED KESSLER AND CYLANA AT THE NATIONAL HORSE SHOW.
Performance – avoidance: Goals in which you demonstrate and validate your abilities by avoiding looking incompetent or underperforming. These goals can create anxiety and judgment. Performance – approach: Goals in which you demonstrate and validate your abilities by achieving a specific outcome, or by outperforming others. Performance-approach goals can be useful as motivators, although because they depend on an outcome, they are also associated with judgment. Mastery Goals: Goals which are designed to increase your competency, understanding, and long-term success. Mastery goals are not dependent of on a particular outcome, as all outcomes can lead to learning and growth. Core Goals: goals that reflect your ultimate desired results.