Expectations vs. Goals

Over the past 15 years of competitive skiing, I feel like I have experienced as much as any athlete can. I have had the highs and the lowest and pretty much anything in between. When sport is going well, sometimes it can feel as though nothing can go wrong. When it is not going as well as you hoped for, that climb back out can feel deeper than ever before.

What has helped me over the last DECADE and half… was managing my expectations and goals. Every year, you hope to improve and have better results. Your goals help determine the results you hope to achieve and then your expectations start to kick in. You train as well as you can and hope every minute is worth it. The one aspect of sport that I have realized over the years, training is only worth it If you have a goal set forth. That goal doesn’t have to be a result, podium, or something along those lines. Goals can be big and small and anywhere in between. For myself, it was important to set goals that were challenging but also in reach. Yes, I have had the childhood goal of winning an Olympic medal or World Championships but at the end of the day, finding the joy and passion during a 4-hour training session is a huge success. I feel the key to setting good goals is progression. I think it is important to realize that you can set new goals in a season so why not start with something that to lead to a bigger goal. I believe that success can be defined as getting something done or accomplished and therefore accomplishing many goals is a great thing. With every goal you should have a process and plan to accomplish these objectives, I call these Key performance indicators (KPI’s). KPI’s are the steps you need to take to achieve said goal and they should be very thoughtful and actionable. These will significantly help you process the path forward by giving you something to strive for each training session.

Expectations are self-explanatory, but something that everyone must live with. They can be something that can either build you up or tear you down and how you deal with it can shape your season. One of my former coaches, told me about the law of averages. I hated it and still do to this day but have learned to respect it as it is very true. What it has taught me is to take everything day by day and week to week. This has allowed me to keep my expectations in check as form, confidence, and control change on a weekly basis. Living in the present and not the future will help you build on each day and allow you focus on what you really need to accomplish. The thing with expectations is they can be right in line with your goals. You start skiing well and you start to think of the result slightly higher than you goal, which starts to create an expectation. For myself it is very much the mental aspect of sport and learning to control the mental part will help you control your expectations.

Go out this winter and enjoy the process and every step of the way. You will find with hard work and determination the results will come.