09/01/2016
Goldilocks Dreams
When we recall the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears we don't typically think about an individual that was courageous, operating in the moment, and unintimidated by her surroundings. These are characteristics that all athletes and performers would like to bring to bear (excuse the pun) on critical performances.
As athletes and performers, we should all strive to emulate Goldilocks in our dreams. "Goldilocks Dreams" are large enough to encourage the hard work and mental strength development required to stretch beyond your current perceived limits. Yet, they are reasonable and realistic enough that you cannot easily rationalize your failure to accomplish them. It takes genuine courage and vision to produce "Goldilocks Dreams".
Grossly unrealistic dreams, dreams that are too big, are deceptively comfortable because they are clearly unreachable. It becomes very easy to mentally give yourself a "pass" when dreams are clearly unreachable, while, at the same time, appearing heroic to untrained observers.
Dreams that are too small, present no challenge at all. Easily accomplished dreams are mentally very safe, in that the challenge is minimal and they allow you to compile an impressive list of "accomplishments". However, you realize negligible physical and mental benefit from accomplishing such goals. And, it appears to the uninformed that you are mentally focused and working hard to achieve your goals.
So use the Goldilocks approach to develop dreams that present genuine challenges to grow physically and mentally. You will have a much better chance of finding performances within yourself that are "just right"!
