NEW YEAR GOAL SETTING

The new year often carries the excitement of opportunity to improve from your past self and set new goals and expectations. Whatever these may be for you, making progress towards your goals are the essence of being a better Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, or individual. Improving daily towards your goals can be easily achieved when you set the right ones.

This week we start a new mini-series. We will learn how to set the right goals and the complimentary practice of visualizing them. Goal-setting and visualization techniques can help you head in the right direction. These habits can mold you into the best possible version of yourself — on and off the mats.

PLAN YOUR WORK & WORK YOUR PLAN

Those words were famously said by Napoleon Hill, who wrote “Think and Grow Rich” in 1937. With 13 fundamental principles to adopt, a significant piece was how the proper goal helps you achieve it, and the wrong one can often lead to failure and frustration.

So, how do you know if you’re setting the right goals?

According to Hill, a goal is often the product of something you desire backed by a major definite purpose. In order to define what your major purpose is, you have to ask yourself, “What does success mean to me?” Once you have this defined then you can start to set goals that align with your major purpose.

For example, you may have a burning desire to improve your self-defense. In this example, success means being able to stay calm and control your opponent or attacker in order to defeat them. So your major purpose becomes learning how to overcome challenges through Jiu-Jitsu.

The next step is asking yourself what you plan to give in return for your success? Using the same example above, you can give your time, energy, and a positive attitude, in return for the success of controlling your opponent.

This scenario is a little vague, so let’s push this concept further and use SMART goals to help track progress and stay objective.

S = SPECIFIC

I have strong self-defense and can control my opponent to defeat them.

M = MEASURABLE

My opponent will not score points on me during our match.

A = ACHIEVABLE

I will practice a minimum of 3x per week to learn self-defense techniques.

R = REALISTIC

It’s possible my opponent may get an advantage, but they will not score points.

T = TIME-BOUND

I will compete in a minimum of 4 tournaments in 2023 to measure my progress.

As we wrap up the final weeks of 2022, I hope you take the time to go through this exercise.

What is your idea of success for 2023?
What do you intend to give in return for your success?
Make it SMART

If you haven’t competed in a BJJ tournament yet, let CompNet be your stepping-off point. Create your Competitor Profile. Then find a GB CompNet Tournament near you!

Blog Written by Veronica Street - Gracie Barra Blue Belt