Lots of things have been said about goal setting. There are many publications, many videos many debates and an abundance of research in this field. In the sports and business world, SMART goals are king and are taught to everybody in these two communities. Now while I agree with the SMART goal teachings, I believe other goals are more fundamental to achieving high performance and success. For example, I do not know any high-level performing athlete who has not set what I call almost impossible goals. Impossible goals are the goals of your dreams. When I was a young boy, every golfer wanted to be Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, or Tom Watson. Today young golfers want to be Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy. This elite group of golfers play the golf of our dreams. Intuitively then if we want to get better, we need to set goals that allow us to play the game of our dreams.
Dream goals are goals that are highly valued, they ignite our passion, they are inspiring, and they transform the way we look at the world. They help us transcend who we are now for who we want to be. Psychologists will tell you when a human being aims for a highly valued goal it brings about positive emotion. Highly valued goals (Dream Goals) equal positive emotions. This is why everyone needs to have a dream goal to experience meaning and purpose in their lives. It is the journey we take towards a dream goal that enables us to transcend who we are now for who we want to be. Martin Luther King had a dream, he did not have a SMART goal. Dream goals change the world, and they can also change you. Dream goals are fundamental in the development of ourselves and humanity. In sports, they are fundamental to every athletic success.
When I worked on the European golf tour I never met a top athlete who was not thinking about becoming the world’s number one, winning major championships, or playing in the Ryder Cup. Tiger Woods would be thinking about this all of the time. He would think about playing the game of his dreams and beating the greatest players on the planet. He started thinking about winning majors at the age of 12 and had mapped out his legacy in golf by aiming at all the records of his golf idol Jack Nicholas. All of the great players do this they have a dream, and they aim at that dream for the rest of their lives. Tiger will not sleep until he has beaten all of Jack Nicklaus’s records. He will not retire until he has won more majors than the great Jack Nicholas. This is why he still plays after many injuries and setbacks.
Dream goals are fundamental in the life of great athletes. If you want to be great at anything, you have to set a goal that captures your dreams.