Measure Up
by Lane McLaughlin
PSIA-NW Tech TeamCoach

To Measure up to your goals, they have to be measurable.

Do you have big goals for your New Year? Typically we flip that calendar over and have a vision for the New Year’s big ambitions - get in shape, attain Level 3 Certification, be more charitable, save money, get a promotion… So how come so many of these items end up on the wish list each year; how come the previous year didn’t see them all come true? There’s a big difference between a vision and a goal.

A vision is a major motivator. The little movie real in your head sells you on the possibilities, the sensations you might feel when you arrive, the impetus to turn off the tube and get off the couch and get into action. But without a clear definition of the ‘actions’ that will move you along your journey you don’t really have a path to follow or a way to measure your progress. Therefore your goals should actually be stated as the milestones and not the destination.

Can you distinguish effort from outcome? Using fitness as the example, how do you know when you’re “in shape”? Is there a day when you wake up “in shape”? Do you hear horns go off, or do you get a certificate in the mail? Other than an occasional compliment from those who see you as someone who’s in shape, there really is not a single tangible determination of what being “in shape” is. But, there are many physical feats that are a measure of being “in shape” and a measure of your progress of getting in better shape. Therefore, rather than stating the nebulous idea of being in shape as your goal, declare the effort you will commit toward your goal. Most people fall off the wagon on the way to their goals because they don’t have the patience and persistence to take baby steps each day over a period of time. They’d prefer the big-bang theory or immaculate conversion or some other instant transformation. But, in a sense, and on a smaller scale, that’s what actually happens each day with effort towards an outcome. Most people actually don’t realize their progress because they neglect to take the necessary ‘measurements’ that validate the effort.

Can you count it? You can measure something if you can count it. It’s easy to recognize progress if your effort produces more of something. You have stronger abs today if you can do 30 situps whereas last week you could only do 20. You are closer to mastering the moguls if you can make 20 consecutive turns before losing your line whereas last month it was 10. You will get better at teaching children’s’ lessons if you take out 5 children’s classes a week instead of 2, and shadow your best children’s instructors 2 times a week instead of 0. In these different cases, you are either measuring the effort, which in itself is a commitment to follow through with the your intent, or you are measuring your progress, which validates the effort and shows the reward for the work.

Can you time it? The clock is another tool that can measure effort and improvement because it can measure efficiency, endurance, or command over a skill. Obviously you are becoming a more dynamic, efficient, and/or skilled skier if you are taking seconds off your time throughout the year in the same racecourse. You are becoming a more confident and skilled leader if you are able to effectively lead a peer clinic in your ski school for 2 hours rather than starting with a bang but only last about 30 minutes. You are developing better lateral balance if you can keep pushing the amount of time you can stand on a wobble board without touching down - from seconds, to minutes, to many minutes…

Can you describe it? Being able to concretely describe something is another way to measure a goal. If smooth skiing is your desire, then what you can describe about what smooth skiing is can become your goal(s). Perhaps to you, smooth skiing is where turn transitions are executed with no scrubbing of speed, therefore describing the phase of the turn, the skill of pressure control, and the timing of flexion/extension movements where improvement is desired. If your dream is to “get strong” your goals can be the feats you describe as do-able if you were strong. By describing your goals, you can actually break the big fuzzy picture down into clear components. Therefore you clarify your intent, can focus on the task at hand, and have more chances for mini triumphs. Rather than getting frustrated that you haven’t arrived as the smooth skier of your dreams, you can celebrate the moment you accomplish something smooth skiers do.

Can you repeat it? Ever have those random acts of greatness? They come along now and then and as great as it is to get in the zone, how great would it be to increase your chances of getting there? Being able to repeat something on command is actually a measure of owning it. To develop that ownership also takes a tremendous amount of repetition. Repetition allows one to learn from mistakes and anchor the movements and sensations associated with success. It takes our last point of being more descriptive about one’s goals to clarify what it is that gets repeated; it’s perfect practice that makes perfect. So before launching into a session of habitforming behavior, clarify what it is to you that is the level of quality in execution, skill, and outcome that is worth practicing and repeating. Your progress will be measured by your ability to ‘call your shot’ and perform on command.

Can you add a level of challenge to it? If you break down your goals and tasks into small enough chunks, you’ll find that you can quickly achieve many small victories. The key is to not mistake the success of the mini-goal as the accomplishment of the bigger objective. So, to use the successful experience as a springboard for more growth, rather than a plateau, you must keep gradually raising the bar. And still you will reach plateaus, but not because of your effort level flattening out. Instead, it’s just a sign that you may not be able to progress further by simply refining the skills you have, but instead you may need an infusion of additional skills or tactics to bring to the battle.

Can you stick with it? Success is there for the taking every day. If you’re not making measurable progress toward your goals then you need to check in with yourself and honestly assess why you picked those goals. If they are truly what you want then it should be an easy sell to the psyche to commit some effort on a routine basis to participate in the growth and reward that goes along with practicing, improving, and achieving. It seems as though many people’s goals are determined by their lust for the eye candy, image over substance, and lacking intrinsic value. Since we typically set our sites on longer-term rewards the ‘stick to it’ drive comes from truly valuing and enjoying the daily chores that progress us to that destination. It should be a joy to stick with it, to measure your progress, to change the level of challenge and routinely identify where your limits are and that what you couldn’t do in the recent past is now attainable.

Lane McLaughlin is a coach of the PSIANW Tech Team, the PSIA-NW Technical VP, and BOD representative from Stevens Pass.