Progress Goals

In any training situation, you have three goals: a long-term goal “summit that mountain”, an overall goal for the particular training session “clearer port de bras”, and a specific goal for each part or exercise “finish the pirouette properly”. The first two are what I call finish-line goals, the last one is a progress goal. Finish-line goals are like beacons: they guide you. Progress goals are like stepping stones, they bring awareness of one particular thing you can do right now to move one step ahead on your path.

When setting goals, we often only set goals that put our focus on crossing the “finish line”. Things like “dance a solo part in a particular performance”, “get that jump right”, “be able to lift my left leg as high as my right leg” or “dance with the most beautiful arm movements”. These are all examples of finish line-goals: they put your focus on the final, polished form, on the state of having reached your goal. Both long-term goals, as well as your main goal for today's training session, are a kind of finish-line goal. These kinds of goals, combined with a vivid imagination to see, feel and picture yourself as though you already have accomplished them, are extremely helpful as long-term goals. They help you to remember what you are working for and why and can guide your actions and decisions so you keep moving towards these goals. However, I don't believe finish-line goals are useful during training or whatever activity it is where you are working towards your goals. The only possible benefit of finish-line goals during training that I can see is if you, mentally, step outside during training for just a moment and consider where you are now (in your training space), what you are doing and why. In this case finish-line goals can enable you to tap into some extra motivation which we can all use from time to time. But note that this is not in a moment where you are training, even though that moment is part of your training time. Why do I think finish-line goals are not otherwise useful during practice? Simpy because they don't work. In fact, they often undermine your progress. Here's why: focusing on the outcome is not telling you anything about how to get there, how to improve from where you are right now so you may move closer towards your goal.

If finish-line goals can't help you during training, is there another kind of goal that can? Yes. They are called progress goals. Progress goals are goals that can guide you from “right now” to “right now, slightly improved”. And this is just what you need for your training. In fact, this is what training and practice is all about: improving your abilities. Not achieving some target, but growing and improving so that by the end of the training session you are closer to your goals, more prepared to reach them. The improvement may be barely noticeable in the moment - no backflips to show – but will steadily and surely move you on a path to mastery. How do you define progress goals? While finish-line goals answer the question “What do I want to accomplish?”, progress goals enable you to answer “What can I do right now to move a little closer to my goal?”.

Since progress goals help you move ahead from where you are right this moment, you don't just keep them around for days or months. You keep evolving and growing. Every time you do the same exercise, you are in a different place. You are improving, and your progress goal should always be set for the way you are in this momenet, not just carried over from yesterday. If you're not clear on what any of these goals are for you currently, both finish-line and progress goals, find one that makes sense for you. Give it a try – it's a major enabler of your success. And don't worry to set a progress goal for every exercise right away. Start with setting a progress goal for one exercise and take it from there.