I am very fortunate to spend a every day around some of the best players and coaches in the world. Today I got to listen to one of our coaches explain, to one of our top prospects, what goals are, why they are important and how you should set them. Here you go…
Long term goals…This is the big picture. What you would like to happen 2, 3, 5, 10 years from now. Obviously, this players goal is to get to the big leagues. For this to happen, he needs other smaller goals to achieve before he can reach his long term goal of getting to the show.
Intermediate goals…A year from now, where do you want to be. For him, it may be to be in AA. This level is a milestone for players because if you can get there, compete and be a good player, then you know you have a chance. They say if you can compete in AA, you should be able to compete the big leagues.
Short term goals…Now these are the really important ones. It’s ok to have a few of these but they need to be put in order. To achieve one, there is another one you need to accomplish first and before you can get to that one, there may be something else to do. For young players, it’s all the little things like solidifying their routines on and off the field. Learning more about their delivery or swing. Getting stronger, and whatever other little things are on their list.
You can’t get to your long term goal until you achieve your intermediate goals and you won’t get there until you achieve all of your short term goals.
Here’s an example for you. Our long term goal for Baseball Dudes (the website part of our business) is for it to be a household name that people think of when they want free quality and trusted baseball information, instruction and guidance. To get there, our intermediate goals are to form relationships with teams, leagues, organizations and facilities to provide them with the proper information to create smart players and coaches who understand what it takes, mentally and physically, to be successful at this game and the game of life. But, before we can get there, we have a few things to accomplish like adding more writers to the website who are experts from other areas on the field (right now, we are all pitchers), continue to build our creditability by sharing our knowledge via Facebook, twitter and our website, add to our Video Tips library and continue to add documents to our website like practice plans, different drills that are diagramed, team fundamentals and the list goes on.
Bottom line, to make your ultimate goals a reality, you need to think smaller first. One step at a time. Be patient, give it all you’ve got and never lose site of the big picture.
Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and an amazing wife. Baseball is my life, after my family, and I love sharing what I have learned from it. Thanks for taking the time to view what we offer here at Baseball Dudes.
