Use This Top Gun Technique for Goals…

technique for goals

Use This Top-Gun Technique For Goals…

In the movie Top Gun, Tom Skerritt, tells the fighter pilots, “You are the best of the best, the elite,” and “we’ll make you even better.”

The Top Gun school made them better fighter pilots, by flying, not by trying to make them fisherman or painters.

Stay with me here, because too often, we set goals addressing an area where we really struggle. 

This rarely works.

Over 50% of New Year’s resolutions fail within the first six weeks.

Typically, most people set a goal to change, which are usually on areas we already feel bad about ourselves, the worse part, and we start from a point of  “I am no good.”

Use this top gun technique for goals. 

The purpose of setting goals is to improve and this occurs through gaining confidence and momentum. If you want to beat the odds, try this technique instead…

Improve upon your greatest strength.

For instance, my weakness is multi-tasking. In 2020, my issue was distraction!

I would “like” to get better at stopping it, but come on’, I’m already distrac ted on zoom calls and still multi-task. So, instead, my technique for goals is based upon my strengths of discipline, sport psychology, mental toughness, and creativity. 

The goals I set are based upon “I rock at this stuff.”

If we try to address our biggest weakness, even if we succeed, then we’ve really only improved to the level of “kind of bad.” We just suck less at it. 

But, more than likely, half way through the six-week process, we’ll stumble, begin to make excuses, and feel bad as a result.

We do much better in life, using our existing strengths to improve. Confidence is a powerful tool in sports and in life, because when things are going well, we are more energized, positive, and relaxed. When we have momentum, we “keep doing what we’re doing.”

The purpose of setting goals is progress, not perfection.

Thus, the technique for goals is to improve on your greatest strength. Make your greatest strength your greatest strength. We’ll make you better  

Find small ways to improve by doing what you already do…

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. DRB & associates coach executives and professional athletes. Some clients have included three different winners on the PGA Tour, Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens.