Part 4: Goal Setting
If you don't know where you are going, how do you know if you are heading in the right direction? Many people fail to set goals for themselves and consequently don't ever get to reach their potential. By taking the time to set goals for yourself you gain a number of benefits:

The major benefit of goal setting is that it motivates you; your goals give you something to reach for. Even when your team is struggling against stiff opposition, you will continue to give your best because you have a goal to aim for.

Having a goal will help you to improve your concentration. If your goal involves improving your abilities, then you can view difficult circumstances as an opportunity to develop your abilities and to focus on the task at hand, rather than distracting yourself with thoughts about how tough it is out in the middle.

As you move towards achieving your goals, your confidence will grow. Every time you take a wicket, score a run, or take a catch that moves you closer to your goal, your belief in yourself improves and you become more self-assured.

Because you have something to work on and move towards, your skills will continue to improve as you strive for your goal.

Types of goals
Goals can focus on results (Eg. I will increase my batting average to 45 by the end of the season) or they can focus on action (Eg. I will spend four hours of each week bowling in the nets). Additionally, goals can be long range or short range. A wise strategy for goal setting is to have a number of goals that are results-orientated as well as goals that are action-focussed. Similarly, goals should also be set for the long term as well as the short term. See the examples in the table below.

Guidelines
If you set your goals incorrectly, you could actually reduce your performance. To set effective goals, there are a number of guidelines to bear in mind.

Effective goals are specific and measurable. Rather than stating, "I will score as many runs this season as I can", a specific goal nominates the number of runs that you are aiming to score: "I will score 750 runs this season." Instead of saying, "I will improve my bowling" make your goal precise by stating how you will measure your improvement, "I will reduce my bowling average to 24 this season." By making your goals specific and measurable, you are able to keep tabs on how well you are progressing towards them.

Effective goals are achievable but challenging. If you make your goals too hard, you will become discouraged when you realise that you aren't going to reach them. On the other hand, if they are too easy, you won't gain anything from achieving them. Before setting your goals, you need to make a realistic assessment of your abilities, and then set goals that are slightly higher than your current standards. Longer term goals can be set considerably higher than your current abilities indicate, but you need to have a series of short term goals to help you get to those long term, loftier goals.

Give yourself a timetable to reach your goals. Effective goals will have a deadline by which you intend to achieve them. It's no good saying that you are going to score 1,000 runs, but then fail to specify the date by which you will score them.

Be prepared to be flexible. If you reach your goals earlier than you expected, don't rest on your laurels; revise your goals. Similarly, if it becomes apparent that you are not going to reach your goals, reduce your expectation or extend your deadline. When revising your goals, remember to keep them achievable but challenging.

Keep a record of how well you are progressing towards your goals. I suggest that you write your goals in a diary or notebook. After each match or training session, update the diary to record your progress alongside each goal.

Set multiple goals. Remember that you need to set goals that give you something to aim for in the long term and in the short term; you also need to set goals that focus on results, and goals that focus on the steps that you are going to take to achieve your result-goals. Additionally, you can set goals that focus on different aspects of your game: batting, bowling, fielding, training, and concentration etc. Another advantage of having multiple goals is that if one of your goals becomes unreachable, you can continue to be spurred on by the other goals.

Set your own goals. By all means talk to your coach or your captain about your strengths and weaknesses, and take advice from them, but don't rely on them to set goals for you. You are far more likely to strive for goals that are meaningful to you than for goals that are set by someone else.

Celebrate as you take each step towards your goals. Don't wait until you have achieved a goal to enjoy the moment. Each step that you take is cause for celebration. By giving yourself a pat on the back for each step, you boost your confidence that you will reach your ultimate goal.

These guidelines are simple and easy to follow. If you want to reach your potential, start setting goals now. Set goals for every match and every training session. By working towards the goals that you set for yourself, you give yourself the best chance of becoming the best you can be.