Jeremy Lazarus is an Executive Coach and High Performance Sports Coach, and a Certified Master Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).  He spent over 15 years in a business career which included senior management and director roles.  In 1999 he formed The Lazarus Consultancy Ltd, an NLP training and coaching company specialising in the applications of NLP in business and sport. 

His clients include blue chip companies, SMEs, public sector organisations, elite athletes, professional football and rugby clubs.

He is a part-time lecturer at Middlesex University, teaching on undergraduate Sports Psychology courses and on a Masters program.  He is the author of ‘Ahead of the Game: How to Use Your Mind to Win in Sport’ (frequently in Amazon UK’s top 10 books on Sports Psychology), and ‘Successful NLP: For the Results You Want’, and has appeared on TV and radio several times.

He can be contacted on 020 83498 2929, or jeremy@thelazarus.com, or jeremy@WinningAtSport.com.

www.thelazarus.com, www.WinningAtSport.com

Sports quote
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
- Mark Twain

You see whether you realise it or not goals are a fundamental part of achieving excellence at sport. The two choices you have is either you carry on leaving things to chance in your event or sport or you take control of your participation performing in are way that brings you fulfilment, purpose and achievement.

I guess with setting goals comes the fear of not achieving them, which is understandable, imagine setting these awesome goals only to fall flat on your face and not achieve them, what then. Well I think the most amazing thing about setting goals, is the journey and sometimes we don’t achieve what we set out to achieve. We achieve something more significant, and more often than not in the process of working towards and achieving goals so many other possibilities and opened and in our life we achieve so much more than we set.
After your have listed your goals, we will then utilise a powerful technique to achieving your goals.

Exercise

Though before we begin the goal setting strategy
Create Your Vision board
Get a piece of poster board and attach it to a wall in your dressing room locker or home where you will see it often. As you go through magazines, brochures, etc. and you see the pictures of the things you want, cut them out and glue them to your vision board. In other words, make yourself a collage of the goals that excite you…knowing full well that as you look at them everyday, they will soon be yours.
I.e. cut out a picture of grounds you would like to compete at, the stadiums, the performers you would love to challenge yourself against.

Now complete the following Exercise
Write one goal you have for each of the following category, you may think of others, though for now write one goal you have in each category.

Technically
I.e. improve golf swing, tennis serve, free kick in football, goal kicking rugby

Characteristics

Is any part of your mindset holding you back i.e. self belief, self esteem, confidence? Is there any part of the way that you behave that upsets you? If so, set a goal to improve your behaviour or find a solution to the problem.

Career
What are you aspirations? What level do you want to play? Who do you want to compete against? How do you want your sports career to go, amateur, semi pro, professional?

Education
What would you like to learn? About your sport? Your role?

Tactically
How would you like to improve tactically?

Physically
What are your physical goals? Levels of fitness through fitness testing?
Speed ?power? stamina? Agility?

Process
How many goals are you aiming to score in your season? Length you want to hit golf ball? How fast you want to run a certain distance?

Spiritual /contribution
Biggest contribution you will make in your sport? Entertain fans?
Your intrinsic values enjoyment?

Now choose one of the goals from the above category

(You can use the following strategy for all the goals you have listed above, and incorporate it into to your planning, though for now choose one.)
(A common question many people ask is can I set more than one goal, of course you can, you can set as many goals as you wish, particularly for different aspects of your sport to ensure growth) however I would suggest using the strategy and the following exercise for one goal till you develop your action plan, then you can set different action plan for different goals.

Using the following powerful strategy you can take a goal you have listed in the above category to put into action

Goal Setting

1) State the goal in positive terms.
What do you want to achieve, what would you like to happen, what outcome do you want?
Remember the mind can not process a negative instruction, for example if I say doesn’t think of the colour red, what comes to mind?
So be specific if a 5 year old can’t understand it, it’s to complex, (for example in the playing for a professional team or level, stating you want to play professionally, is vague and not specific. Write your ideal team you want to play for) ( and or the exact level or league you want to play? type of team, what tournaments you would like to win? ) be as specific as possible.
State it in the positive (what you want to achieve). Where are you now ( level, team, ability)?
(This is your road map) in the context of your goal (i.e. just starting up in a new sport, playing a certain level, certain level of ability)

Where do you want to be?
(Were do you want to be in the case of your goal as in outcome you want)
(A professional athlete competing in the European circuit running under 10 seconds for 100metres, playing semi pro football for certain team scoring 20 goals per season, complete marathon under 3 hours)

2) specify the goal in Sensory Based Terms
Remember we learn through our senses, and build an association through our senses which makes it real.
Engage all of your senses in this description process to employ more of your brain and nervous system.
And build pathways in your mind making it real.
What will you see, hear, feel, etc., when you have achieved your goal?
Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like having achieved your goal, what will you see? Hear? And feel?

What steps or stages are involved in reaching this goal?

Formulate a plan what steps are necessary in achieving the goal
Step 1: 2: 3: and so forth
(I.e. step one might be to email or phone someone step two set up a trial, get in peak fitness, improve technique)

3) Specify the goal in a way that you find compelling
(Make the goal have meaning, specify your goal in a meaningful way)

Now Imagine in your minds eye the steps you have mapped taking you to the point of having achieved your goal. See yourself having achieved your goal like watching yourself on TV. Notice the screen the clarity of the image, what you are wearing, what people around you are wearing, the surroundings, what you are saying, people around you are saying and what it feels like to see yourself achieve the goal.
What would achieving the goal mean to you?
To your family?
The impact it will have on the greater community?
Is the goal compelling?
Does it make you excited?

4) Run an ecology check on your Goal (the consequences of working towards your goal or achieving it) to make sure it is for you in all areas of your life. Making sure it whets you want for you.

• Is the desired goal right for you in all circumstances of your life?
• Is your goal appropriate in all your personal relationships?
• What will having your goal give you that you do not now have?
What implications does it have on other parts of your life? I.e. spending time with your children, your partner, family.
• Is your goal achievable?

5) The plan
• Where, when, how, with whom, etc. will you get this goal?
Where? (I.e. celebrating winning a trophy, making a team at a certain level, running New York Marathon,)
when?: set a time limit, i.e. set a an exact date, by 12/10 /2012 ( playing professional football for a certain team at a certain level, scoring x amount of goals, winning the league, set are date and even time for when you will achieve your goal)
how?: ( how you intend to achieve your goal step by step) ( generate a plan) ( phone up for trials, get into peak training, improve technique fitness, hire personal trainer, agent, promoter)

Whom? (List of the resources as in people that can help you achieve your goal) (Family, friends, team mates, coaches, collegues)

6) State the Resources needed to achieve the goal

• What resources will you need in order to get this goal?

• Who will you have to become?

• Who else has achieved this goal?

• Have you ever had or done this before?

• Do you know anyone who has?

• What prevents you from moving toward it and attaining it now?

7) Evidence Procedure.

• How will you know that your goal has been realized?
(How many times to we achieve a goal without even realising it, its important to know when you have realised your goal, you wouldn’t climb the highest mountain and not sit and admire the view)

What will let you know that you have attained that desired state?

( how will it feel when you have achieved your goal, how many people achieve a goal and think is that it, or not sure if their getting closer, identify the feelings the will come with achieving your goal, close your eyes and think about it what feeling you will have, having achieved your goal)

Placing goals on a timeline

Placing your goal in a timeline gives you the opportunity to note the progress you are making step by step.
Starting with the end in mind .At the very top write specifically what you goal is and the exact date you will achieve it.
I.e. July 2012 run 100 metres in 10 seconds, play for certain team in top league, play certain golf handicap.
March 2012 run 100 metres in 10.4 seconds, play for team in 2nd highest league,
Jan 2012 run 100 metres 10.6 seconds, play for team in 3rd highest league
December 2011 run 100metres in 10.8 seconds, or play for team in 4th highest league,
August 2011, enter competitions for 100 metres sprints, or trial with pro sports team
June 2011,hire athletics coach, join athletics team, begin intensive fitness training for football, improve technique, or set up meeting with agent with an eye to play pro football.

The following exercise brings a sense of reality to achieving your goals and makes them manageable.

After the exercise is a chart you can use to break your goals down in a time frame.

1. Step 1
Write down what you envision for yourself in 10 years. Write down your goals in list form using complete sentences. Use adjectives and be specific. Instead of writing “playing professional football,” write “I am playing for a successful professional team, winning trophies bringing enjoyment to the lives of others.”

2. Step 2
Create tasks for each goal. Assign each task a due date, step 1, 2, 3 and so forth. Begin each task with an action verb. Instead of writing “sprint coaching,” write “Enrol in a specific athletics, golf, tennis, football team (i.e. town, county)

3. Step 3
Write down what you envision for yourself in one year as a milestone to know your on track. Use your list of 10 year goals as a template.

4. Step 4
Create tasks for each one-year goal. Use your list of tasks for your 10 goals as a template. Assign each goal at least one task per week.

5. Step 5
Place your lists in a visible location. Put your lists on your bedroom wall or somewhere else that you look at daily.

6. Step 6
Write your goals and tasks on a calendar. Put the tasks on their corresponding due dates. Write the goals onto estimated date or dates of completion.

7. Step 7
Use the lists and calendar as a template for one week tasks, one-month goals, 10-year goals and other time frames.

See below outline to achieving your goals what you aim to achieve in specific time frames.
Write down were you want to be in relation to achieving your goal at each time frame.

10 years

5 years

3 years

2 years

1 year

1 year

3 months

1 month

1) List your long term, medium term, and short term goals in here and write the miles stones along the way.

Weekly planner
Action Plans are essential if you’re going to get the most out of your time.

Weekly planning helps you to: decide how to make effective use of your time.
Work proactively rather than reactively.

Write down your daily tasks taking you closer to achieving your Goals

Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
6am to
7am
task 1,2,3
(i.e. phone coach, email, go for run to build aerobic fitness)
7am to 8am

8am to 9am

9am to 10am

10am to 11am

11am to 12pm

12pm to 1pm

1pm to 2pm

2pm to 3pm

3pm to 4pm

4pm to 5pm

5pm to 6pm

6pm to 7pm

7pm to 8pm

1. Ask your client find and confront their Phobia.

2. Have them walk into an “imaginary movie theatre” of their mind and sit down in the center of the front row.
3. Have them float up out of their body and gently settle in a comfortable seat in the balcony, so they can watch themselves watching the screen.

4. Have them put the very beginning of their Phobia on the screen in the form of a colored slide. Have them run the movie of their phobia all the way to end, as they remain in the balcony watching sitting in the front row watching themselves on the screen.

5. At the end of the movie, freeze the frame into a slide. Change the picture to black and white and then re-associate fully into the picture on the screen (“walk into the movie). Run the associated movie backwards at triple speed or faster, with circus or cartoon music playing, and have them freeze – frame the image when they get to the beginning of the movie.

6. Have them walk out of the still picture and sit back down in the center of the front row of the theater, then have them white out the entire screen.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 as necessary. Test for the phobic response after each time through. All throughout the process use (presuppositions and Milton model language patterns) to reinforce your change work.

In both methods the critical point is the dissociation from the actual event and in fact both use the double disassociation technique. When association is eventually imposed, it is so bizarre that the brain re-writes the memory and unlearns the phobia as quickly as it learnt it.
Technically this is a brain re-imprinting exercise and this is best explained in a little story.
Imagine you are walking down a road and come to a dead end. In front of you is a large cornfield with corn grown to shoulder height. You can not see the sides of this field nor can you see the other side. The corn is grown right up to the fence so it is not possible to walk round the field so you decide to walk straight across the field. It takes quite some endeavour to trample your way across the field but with time and effort you succeed to getting to the other side – job done.
Next day you arrive at the end of the same road and have the same task in front of you (to get to the other side) this time it is much easier as all you have to do is follow your tracks from yesterday. This pattern is then repeated day after day.
So we see from this example that the first time you do something you carve new neural pathways in your brain and this takes some energy to do. When subjected to the same or similar situation again you will have the tendency to go down the same (neural) pathway. This tendency is reinforced time after time until it becomes a habit or phobic response.
Therefore to break the habit or phobic response you need to carve a new neural pathway(s) or go down a different path. The NLP fast phobia cure does just that – it helps you to create a new pathway a pathway that does not include an unsuitable response to a given situation i.e. a phobia.

via Going for Gold | Jimmy Petruzzi | Authors | ebooks.