It's the start of the year and time to talk about goal setting. I'm going to talk about SMART goals or goals that you have control of and accidental goals. These are goals that you can't control the outcome of but you can set yourself up for success with them.

I explain what a SMART goal is and how it applies to horse training. I also share how a goal setting mindset shift resulted in how I look at competing in horse competitions. Breaking things down into measurable things that you can control can lead to surprising success.

Show Notes

[01:12] SMART goals are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound.

[01:35] Set specific goals and then leave room for magic to happen.

[01:45] Non-specific goals are things like improve my riding and build a solid relationship with my horse. These pieces of goals aren't broke down far enough to be SMART goals.

[02:20] They aren't specific, measurable, actionable, etc.

[03:22] You can't control the outcome, but you can set yourself up for success.

[03:47] My 2018 smart goal was running or weight training 3 times a week plus yoga 2-3 times a week. This goal was specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound for me.

[05:05] This also left room for an accidental goal, and I ran a 5K.

[06:21] I set daily and weekly goals that point in a specific direction for showing my horses. I can't control where my horse will end up, but I can set goals of where I will train him five days a week.

[07:01] There are a lot of things I can't control, so I really need to focus on the things that I can control when showing my horses.

[08:08] I share how I almost quit being a professional horseman because of setting goals with outcomes that I could not control.

[08:57] Being devastated by leaving out a maneuver was actually a turning point for me and dramatically changed my view on goal setting.

[09:26] By releasing the outcome of the judging, I was able to make it a specific SMART goal.

[10:58] I had freedom after releasing the things that I could not control.

[12:04] By breaking down goals into SMART goals, you have a good chance of reaching those goals.

[13:54] Break things down into measurable and obtainable things that you can control and then leave the things you can't control.

[14:49] I would challenge those that are interested in the training industry to set specific goals. Such as doubling ads as opposed to getting a certain amount of clients.

[16:01] If you want to ask me a question or leave a comment, you can hit the voicemail button on my website.

Links and Resources:

Stacy Westfall 2003 NRHA Futurity Freestyle Bridleless Reining