Goal setting is an important step in the process of becoming the best junior and collegiate golfer you can be. But goal setting and the process of achieving them have been up for a lot of debate over the years. So I wanted to take the next couple of weeks to share my thoughts on setting goals and how I’ve learned to approach this process in my own life now in comparison to during my golf career.

For starters, it starts with setting goals for yourself, not for anyone else. As a young athlete, I do believe your parents, coaches, and other adults are the best resources for advice and support on setting the right goals. Many times they do have a better understanding of what success looks like in the future and that the process isn’t always going to be fun and games. They know that what a teenager may WANT to do or NOT WANT to do, doesn’t always get to win the battle if the bigger picture of success is going to be jeopardized. However, at the end of the day, your goals should be ones that you want to achieve for yourself, not for anyone else.

Everyone’s goals are going to be different. I consult a lot of different female golfers every year and they each have different reasons for why they play golf and why they want to play in college. These reasons impact their goals which impact the college that fits them. And as you can see in doing any research, there are many different types of colleges and golf programs out there to choose from that offer environments to reach your own individual goals.

Don’t sell yourself short and certainly don’t choose a path just because you are being lazy or don’t want to work hard to achieve your goals but also don’t feel pressured to make your goals be something you don’t want them to be. If it’s something you really want, then start by figuring out why you play golf and why you want to play in college.

Write down 3 reasons that you play golf and 3 reasons that you want to play golf in college. Think about them before you write them down. And make sure you answer these for your own reasons. There aren’t wrong answers, but your answers could dictate the path and direction you should focus on so that you can continue to enjoy this awesome game and what it can bring to your life!

We all need goals and dreams that we are striving to accomplish, they are what make us get out of bed every day with a purpose in mind. But the reasons behind the goals are important for when you first start to set goals. Next week, we will get more in-depth on the difference between long-term vs short-term vs process goals. For now, this simple activity will help get you started with setting goals and focusing on the reasons you want to achieve them.