The Importance of Goals
Some readers will know Arthur, some will not. Arthur Winn is a very good cueman who plays at the Ilford Snooker Centre and at the Matchroom. His practice opportunities - as for most of us - are limited but he has enjoyed his fair share of success reckoning amongst his best achievements that of runner-up to Martin Smith in a Pontin's Plate and losing only 4 - 3 to Tony Putnam in the Essex Championship. Arthur is also a more-than-useful billiards player as the editor of this magazine can testify having finished second on the two occasions they have played. He has been runner up to Roy Bacon in the Essex billiards championship, and has partnered Roy in a winning billiards team for the past seven years. One of Arthur's particular interests is in sporting psychology and in this first of a projected series of articles for the BQR, Arthur talks of the importance of personal achievement and satisfaction that can be attained from the setting of realistic aims.
For this first article I have chosen the subject of Goals as the theme. In a study of college leavers from the world-renowned Harvard Business School in America it was discovered that, after twenty years in business, the 3% of people who had written goals when they left college were worth more (in financial terms) than all of the 97% who had not. To me, this is conclusive evidence that writing goals is something that should be done now, rather than put off until tomorrow!
How to set effective Goals
Before you go rushing for that pen and paper let me give you a few simple guidelines to follow.
- You should put your goals in writing rather than just in your mind. You cannot forget them once they are written and you should look back at them at least every month.
- You should set yourself long, medium and short term goals. The long term goal should be your ultimate ambition and the medium and short term goals should be logical steps which work towards this end goal.
- Your goals should be realistic and linked to the amount of effort that you are prepared to put into them.
- Your goals should be flexible. If your progress towards a particular goal turns out to be faster or slower than you predicted, slide the date for that goal forwards or backwards so that it still sets a challenging but realistic target.
- Your goals should be private. As soon as you tell anybody about any of your goals, you are reducing the likelihood of achieving them. The reason is simple; the people with whom you are likely to share your goals are the very people who will put pressure on you if ever you fall behind schedule. Keep your goals secret and avoid the pressure!
- Be ambitious. Goals can help you achieve a standard that you may currently feel is beyond you. Put down in writing the level you really want to achieve. For example, if you never thought you would ever make a century break, set yourself the goal of making a double century and work towards that. I predict that the century is not far away now! If you're struggling to make a double, set your sights on a triple (or more) and so on.
- Your goals should be reviewed regularly. To neglect this vital final step is as ill-advised as buying an instructional text book and leaving it on the bookshelf.
Contentment is just around the corner
Have you ever wondered why some people seem happy with their lot in sport, or in any or every aspect of their life? Well I strongly believe that goals are a significant
factor. People who have no goals do not know where they are going, therefore they do not know whether they are on course and they are only happy when they hit the occasional high; this normally involves beating other players who do not have goals. Contentment comes from taking the longer term view and knowing that you are on track for your ultimate ambition, even in times of adversity.
The players who have goals quickly rise into a category above the"no goals"people. They have a sense of purpose, they know where they are going, this helps to keep them focused and therefore they know when they have drifted off course and can take the necessary corrective action. This will help them improve to the stage where they beat players of a similar standard who have no goal-driven desire to win. Their goals also help them to place defeat in its true perspective. As Norman Dagley said after losing to Geet Sethi in the World Championships: "You can never hope to give away 400 points and beat a player like Geet Sethi. I did manage to come back but then lie came good once again at the end. I am not disappointed as I played my best. Only he was better"(BQR - October 1991) Great words from a great master of the game. To me they radiate a contentment after which we should all be striving. It would not surprise me in the least to learn that Norman and many others of the leading players have private goals which drive them forward.
Action - Do it now
Just reading an article such as this achieves little. Action is the key ingredient. So, why not arrange a quiet half hour for yourself as soon as possible and get those goals down on paper? Don't forget a monthly review.
Feedback
I am interested in hearing from players of all standards on the way in which they have found goals to be useful. Please reply to the address shown below, stating whether you mind the information being shared in future articles and, if so, whether anonymity is required. I shall reply to all letters.
And Finally
You need more than goals to be successful and, if sporting psychology is of interest to BQR readers I would be more than happy to contribute to future Reviews.
In the meantime, whether your forte is close cannons, long losers, hearty hazards, or tickling at the top I trust that you find something to help you reach your goals in this article. I hope so