Running head: Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

Patrick Kern
Eastern Illinois University

Running head: Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

Abstract
This paper explores the importance of goal-setting to achieve motivation and success in any
arena, from education and business, to athletics. Articles and source material ranges from an
online article that lays out the academic blueprint for success called SMART Goals, to an
article from Success magazine on the wisdom from one of the greatest college basketball coaches
of all time, John Wooden. The world of martial arts will also be examined in a book from author
Ross Heaven, who equates success with passing through different gateways in order to obtain
freedom. Finally, a couple of articles expanding on different strategies for setting goals, from
group goal setting in an article from the Sports and Exercise Psychology Review to finding
different avenues of inspiration in a creative realm in an article from Entrepreneur magazine
entitled Inspiration Anywhere!.

Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

Running head: Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

The subjects of motivation and success have long been a topic of great interest to people
from all walks of life. Setting goals is something that has become linked with both achieving
success and providing motivation in the past century. In order to fully understand success
however, the flip side of the coin must also be examined, and that is failure. Success is not the
result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. This quote from the Ross
Heaven (2006) book, suggests that every fiber of ones being must be used in order to obtain
success. When it comes to motivation and achieving success, setting goals is imperative for
creating the strong foundation needed to build towards the future with peak results. In his book,
The Spiritual Teachings of the Ninja: Mastering the Four Gates to Freedom, Ross Heaven
delivers a strong foundation and exercises to attain success.
Heaven (2006) lays out four separate gateways, based on the elements of fire, earth, air
and water which are used to develop and grow to achieve a form of higher self. The practices
require the ability to recognize our individual failures and weaknesses, so that one may
overcome and learn from these instances, and not allow them to hold back or prevent a person
from achieving success. These practices require time for setting goals and completing different
exercises that include forms breathing, movement, visualization and meditation. Heaven gives
specific examples and stories of clients he has worked with, and the struggles they had to
overcome. Ross Heaven may be a name that most people do not recognize. The next name that
is examined will be one many will have heard of.
When it comes to success, perhaps there is no better known figure in the athletic world
than legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. Wooden is lauded as a master of goal

Running head: Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

setting and preparation, and is known by many of his Woodenisms, captured by Yaeger (2016)
in his ode to the late mentor, including this one on success, Never try to be better than someone
else. Learn from others, and try to be your best. Success is the byproduct of that preparation.
Wooden was a master motivator and developed his own Pyramid of Success (Yaeger
2016). This was not the only tool that Wooden made use of. His father also left him The 7
Point Creed and the Two Sets of 3 (Yaeger, 2016). The goal of these tools were to help
others navigate difficult situations, provide a strong example, and share wisdom to help people
reach their true potential.
Yaeger also clearly illustrates the impressive reaches of Woodens influence, which can
be found not only with a vast array of coaches and athletes, but also with many in business and
leadership roles as well as the media and entertainment fields. These figures are all at the top of
their industries and fields, and they all point to Wooden as someone who helped to lay the
groundwork for their success. From Bill Gates to Phil Jackson, John Wooden crystallized the
language of success for all to appreciate and use as a source of empowerment in their lives.
Athletics is often a common arena one may come to when seeking out motivation, and the next
source remains within this theme.
Sticking with the athletic realm, Hampson and Harwood (2016) conducted a case study
based on group goal-setting. The study included an initial assessment, followed by two tiers of
information gathering and profiling of athletes and coaches. The study took a top down
approach, focusing on the effect that coaches had on an athletes success. Following these two
tiers was a three month period of evaluation based on the information gathered and a continued
communication with the coaches. The study concluded that there are three major benefits from

Running head: Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

coaching that provides goal setting to a group. These 3 benefits are that goal setting directs
attention towards the important aspects of performance, mobilizing an athletes effort, and
encouraging persistence over time (Hampson & Harwood, 2016).
From athletics to academics, goal setting is a cornerstone of motivation and success. In
Maurice J. Elias article SMART Goal Setting With Your Students he lays out the SMART
Goals concept that is being used more frequently in schools across the country. The SMART
Goal strategy encourages students to develop goals that are specific, measurable, attainable,
relevant and timely. The strategy provides clear benchmarks and an action plan for students to
use as a valuable resource. Using this formula will help pave the way towards future success in
the classroom.
Ellias also expands into the importance of character goals that can be conducted
through forms of peer interviews. The goal here is to show others and themselves that they have
the capacity to live a happy, principled life. (Elias, 2016) The interviews is broken up into 6
steps, and is recommended to be used with students from the 5th grade and up. The interview
should be adapted for the students age and circumstances, and is a great way to help students
learn how to build trust. The power of virtues such as courage, confidence and kindness are
highlighted among a list of 12 virtues used as character goals to strive for. Sometimes the
hardest part of setting goals can simply be that we arent feeling inspired. How can one deal
with goal setting when feeling stuck in the mud?
When it comes to motivation and success, inspiration can play a vital role. Ashlea
Halpern writes in her article for Entrepreneur magazine on the importance that travel can have on
sparking new ideas and inspiration for future projects. She speaks with writer Taylor Bruce

Running head: Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

about how travel actually moved him from writing a novel, to creating travel guidebooks, the
kind he actually wished he existed. This may seem to go against the grain when it comes to
setting goals to achieve success, however the story highlights how what seem to be setbacks and
forks in the road, can actually turn out to be incredible inspiration for creating new ways to
success. It is important to be adaptable and keep an open mind in receiving inspiration, which
can in turn lead to new motivation and setting brand new goals for the future.
In conclusion, motivation and success are intrinsically linked. Without motivation, one
can not achieve success. Setting goals then, is a blueprint that increases the odds of success
dramatically. A common theme with achieving success through goal setting is failure. Failure in
life is a certainty, but through setting goals and being motivated people can overcome failures
and taste the fruits of success. Maintaining success over the long haul then, may be the ultimate
goal. Here, John Wooden said it best, Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.

Running head: Setting Goals for Motivation and Success

References

Elias, M. J. (2014). SMART Goal Setting With Your Students. Retrieved November 10, 2016,
from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/smart-goal-setting-with-students-maurice-elias
Halpern, A. (2016, November). Inspiration Anywhere!. Entrepreneur,
, 18.
Hampson, R., & Harwood, C. (2016). Case Study 2: Employing a group goal setting intervention
within
an elite sport setting. Sport & Exercise Psychology Review, 12(2), 22-31.
Heaven, R. (2006). The spiritual practices of the ninja: Mastering
the four gates to freedom. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
Yaeger, D. (2016, December). Coach: Wisdom from the life and lessons of John
Wooden. Success, , 35-45.