WOOP Your SMART Goals into Shape
So, you’ve set your SMART Goal that is – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound. This is an important first step to reaching whatever it is you want to achieve. But, I hate to break it to you, if you just write down that goal and then sit on the couch scrolling through social media all day, you are not achieving that goal. Also, any goal worth achieving is going to come with some hardships and obstacles along the way. If you are not ready for these you may get easily discouraged and give up on your pursuit to that goal.
To help you push through and weather those obstacles and hardships you are going to need to WOOP your SMART goals into shape.
WOOP is a process developed by Gabriele Oettingen, a professor of psychology at New York University and the University of Hamburg.
Here are the components to it…
W = Wish – This is essentially that SMART Goal that you wrote. This is a basic description of what you want to achieve.
O – Outcome – In this part of WOOP you set a more detailed and vivid vision of what success will look like when that wish has been achieved. What will you see, feel, hear, touch and most importantly, what emotions will you experience when that goal has been accomplished.
O – Obstacle – Now start to think through what you are going to need to do to achieve that goal. As you are working toward it, what are the obstacles that are going to get in your way?
P – Plan – You’ve identified the likely hardships and obstacles on the path to success. So, put a plan in place with specific steps you will take when those obstacles rear their ugly heads to overcome them.
Here is an example of a WOOP for a swimmer…
Wish – Achieve a sub-23 second time in the 50M freestyle prior to this year’s conference meet.
Outcome – I close my eyes and imagine myself swimming the perfect race. I make a smooth dive off the block and swim through the water feeling confident. I feel each and every stroke easily cutting though the water as I build up speed. My turnaround is executed perfectly and I feel my feet pushing strongly off the wall. I continue to move quickly across the last length of the pool kicking as I’ve never kicked before. At the end of the race I hit the wall, pop my head out of the water, quickly look up and see my 22.5 second time on the scoreboard. I celebrate by pumping my fist in the air and experiencing a sense of joy and accomplishment.
Obstacle – I always get tired half-way through swim practice and decrease the intensity of my training.
Plan – During the second half of swim practice every day I will push myself until I get a faster time than I did during the first half of practice.
For more details on this process check out Gabriele’s book, Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation and the website, woopmylife.org.
Pass It On
If you know of an athlete or coach who wants to improve their mental game, or that of their entire team, they can sign up here for this free Mind of a Champion monthly tip.
Want to Learn More?
If you found this tip valuable and are looking for further options to enhance your mental performance, or that of the athletes/students you work with, check out the details of our programs including…
We can bring these programs directly to your teams/classes, or individual athletes/students can attend an open enrollment program. Contact us today to learn more.