The Three Types of Goals

Hello Champion: 

Today we are going to discuss the three types of goals: process, performance, and outcome.

When elite performers set out to accomplish a task they break it down into three separate goals. 

The first goal is your process goal. 

This is often the initial action you take towards your ultimate goal. Process goals are the most narrow of all three goals. For example, if you wanted to get a faster 40-yard dash time your process goal would be to focus on pumping your arms and taking deep breaths during your training.

The next goal that we will discuss is a performance goal which is centered around the event. 

During the performance goal you are strictly competing against yourself. To keep the example going, your ultimate goal was to get a faster 40-yard dash time. Therefore, you should have a set time in your head such as running a 4.50 second 40-yard dash. Your performance goal is then to continue lessening your 40-yard dash time each practice before the race. 

Finally, the two aforementioned goals lead to the outcome goal which would be to run a 4.50 second 40-yard dash at your event. 

The outcome goal is where all of your training and persistence culminates. If the desired outcome is not achieved, go back to the process and performance goals to tweak it until the desired outcome is reached. 

Breaking down large goals into smaller bite size goals makes them more achievable. Moreover, this gives an opportunity for you to change the process in a way you see fit to achieve the desired outcome. It’s important to keep achieving and to be fluid in your approach. Remember, failing is part of the process.

Here are three tips for successful goal setting:

  1. Outcome goals can seem impossible to achieve. Break them down into smaller tasks to make it seem easy. 

  2. Things will not always work out perfectly the first time. Go back, refine the process, and get back to it. 

  3. Worthy goals never come easy. The difficulty of something indicates the value in achieving it.

At the end of the day, champions set SMART goals and never give up!

The WTMG Team