Pyramid of Success 9; GOALS, "Intentedness"

Itentedness means keeping your eye on the prize and raising the bar. It means staying motivated by staying focused. We should always set realistic goals, concentrate on achieving them and resisting all temptations to give up and stay determined and persistent.

I told Varsity once we got the step-up into a half-extension "prep," and the cradle-catch that NEXT we need to work on getting it up with an elevator and get it all the way up into a full-extension. NOW that we have our chants and sidelines down, we should develop some floor-cheers and we should borrow, make-up, and re-choreograph new chants.

Now that JrHi cheer has most of the chants down, we deed to add conditioning time and begin learning the fundamentals of stunting.

Can we do these things? Like "Bob the Builder" would say, "Yes we CAN!"

Author & Coach Brian Brio says that there are 2 kinds of questions that hurt and 2 kinds that help:

When you catch your self asking these, STOP-
Hopelessness-inducing questions- "WILL this work?
Hopelessness-assured questions- "Will this EVER work?"

Try asking THESE instead-
Possibility-inducing questions- "HOW will we make this work?"
and Exciting Possibility-inducing questions- "How will I contribute so that we MAKE this work for the squad and our school?"


I really want to recommend 'Beyond Success' and the updated 'Beyond Success; 15 secrets of a winning life' both by Brian D. Brio.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Success-Secrets-Winning-Life/dp/0964745321

He's a former high school swim coach and motivational speaker & writer. He uses Coach Wooden's 15 pyramid blocks better than I have and it's a pretty easy/quick read, even for teenagers. Think of it as along the lines of Chicken Soup for the Soul only with the success pyramid.

I have a copy on my shelf as a DEAR time choice if you'd ever like to borrow it.

What kinds of goals do you have for the New Year? Better grades? A fitness program? No more boys? Getting along better with your parents or siblings?

What kind of goals should we have as a squad? Get along better? Best hospitality to visiting squads? More stunting? LOUDER? More squad members starting chants (initiative)?

You may have heard this one before, but I'll share it again anyway- just in time for New Year's resolutions (mine is to make sure I walk at least 3X a week). Here it is, make sure your goals are SAM; Specific, Achievable, and Measurable.

If I were to just say "to be skinnny" than might not be achievable or measurable. If I say "to loose 100 pounds, that may be measurable, but not so achievable. If I say "I want to walk at least 20 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week in order to lose at least 10 pounds so that I lower my triglycerides, improving both my blood pressure and blood sugar." Now THAT's Specific (maybe too specific) Achievable, and Measurable.

One year in LA, I had a cheerleader named Xela. Her goal was to improve her jumps. So she not only practiced at home on her own time, but she bought a set of ankle weights to wear when she did. Withing just a week she was jumping higher, sharper and more frequently than ever before.

Besides making your goals SAM, you shouldn't make too many, AND perhaps most importantly, you need to keep reminding yourself of your goal. Keeping it in mind helps you keep your eye on the prize, to stay focused. That's one of the reasons for things like mottos and mission statements, and mnemonic devices like "loud and?... PROUD!"

Here's two great examples to try to memorize:

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."
~John Wooden

"Positive, Committed Leaders stirring-up spirit, building excellence & character"

“For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you are to progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren't able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at the moment." ~John Wooden

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things." ~Albert Einstein