Mind Games: Progress Not Perfection
"It's all about the journey not the outcome."
-Carl Lewis
Last chapter Mack really focused on how goals are so important for success.  This chapter he focuses on goals but how our goals need to be set.  They tell you where you want to be in the future, which is great encouragement.  Famous swim coach Dick Hannula said, "Goals keep people on target."  When we set SMART goals it allows us to see the progress we are making which then gives us the self-confidence we need.  Before we get to the acronym SMART lets look at two characteristics our goals must have.
1.  It must be a performance goal.  Something we can control not something others control for you.
2.  Our goals must be high enough that they encourage us to get better but realistic enough that we can achieve them.
When we look at these two factors we can start making SMART goals.
S- specific: be an honors graduate at basic.
M- measurable: I will have all of my 2,2,2's to max and learn something new everyday before leaving for basic.
A- achievable: I can reach this if I work hard.
R- realistic: many people have reached this goal and I know I can.
T- time-bound: I have until November 24 to push as hard as I can and then all of bootcamp to achieve this.

For me this is a short term goal because it will be happening so soon, but I do have long term goals.  I want to be successful in the military, first as a combat medic and then as a nurse, once I get my degree.  This is a huge goal but when I break it up into smaller goals, getting through AIT, getting into a nursing school, graduating nursing school,  it doesn't seem like such an enormous task because right now I am just focused on getting through basic and AIT.
Through all of your goals you want to do the best you can but when we seek perfection we get discouraged.  Instead of seeking perfection we need to see the progress we are making towards our goals because that will give us the confidence we need to succeed.