Publications by Coach Dean

Screw the Goals Give me the Donut (eBook for immediate download) You'll find over 40 pages packed with specific how-tos, tips, tricks and techniques to succeed at your goals! It's the best investment of just $25 you could spend to optimize your chances of reaching your goals!

[Introduction Excerpt from eBook]

This eBook is targeted at runners, triathletes, fitness seekers and the like. However, the principles are the same whether you are an athlete, a student, a parent or what I call the "corporate athlete." So, excuse the athlete and fitness examples if you fall into one of the other categories. You can apply everything thing I present in this eBook to your life and where you want to go.

The concept of goal setting is not new. What is funny (weird funny not ha-ha funny) is the fact that very few people set goals in any formal way. Some experts have quoted as few as 3% of all people set goals (by the way there isn't any hard research to support that number to my knowledge). You would think that athletes being so "motivated" to go out and make themselves uncomfortable would do it for a reason and certainly rank higher than that. Though I have not seen any data on this, my observation is that most runners talk about goals far more than actually go through a goal setting process.

So let me clarify that merely saying you have a goal is not sufficient to qualify as goal setting. The goal setting process is a formal process that requires more thought than just "I want to do a marathon" statements. It's like a freshman in high school saying they want to be a doctor. Or it's like someone saying I want to be a millionaire. Nice, but there are a few hurdles between here and there. Most people make statements or have dreams; they don't have goals. On the topic of goal setting, when all is said and done there is a lot more said than done.

For those of you who are turned off by the term "goal setting" then call them objectives or just "some things I want to accomplish." Don't let semantics get in the way. The fact that you aren't doing them now or you do them poorly may be a primary reason for not achieving them. In which case, read on.

Christina the Cynic keeps me from getting too fluffy and sports "psychy" with this entire goal setting stuff. She's going to ask all the questions we know you would ask. In the end maybe she (and you) will just reach for the donut. In the meantime the Mental Game Coach Professional (MGCP) will respond to her cynicism.

Christina the Cynic says: "Darn straight. I have my donut on a plate in front of me right now. So, let's get to it before it gets stale."

The MGCP says: "I hope you'll share that donut."

For those of you who like a little more data behind goal setting from goal setting research go to page 41 of this eBook. Everyone else keep reading and step away from the donut.

Read more below...

FREE BONUS

Now with your order you get a free copy of the eBook Focus for Fitness (This will be sent via email after your successful order.). This is the perfect companion book to Screw the Goals Give me the Donut. All for only $25!

Set yourself up for success, set your goals the way they should be, create environments and support systems to get you where you want to go.

[More From "Screw the Goals...]
Failing at Goals - The Success Only Venture Myth
Everyone loves success: athletes, coaches, parents, athletic directors, schools, fans. Everyone loves to win or be a winner. This brings me to my point. If we define ourselves by our victories alone; or conversely if we define ourselves by the times we've failed to accomplish what we intended; if we only measure ourselves by "successes" and "failures" then we are certain to completely fail. Someone sold most of us a bill of goods that include these themes: "there is only room at the top for one"; "winning is the only thing"; "second place is the first loser"; "all those runners in front of me are more talented"; "I have to accomplish every goal I set"; and "if we don't achieve everything we set out to do - we're a failure."

Christina the Cynic says: "I don't buy it. I set a marathon goal and did everything right. I kept my mileage appropriate, did some PT exercises, ate better, wrote down my goal, and sub-goal, made it public and I ended up with an injury that took me out of my marathon and kept me from actively running for months. How is it possible there is success there?"

The MGCP says: "Add up enough of these failures and focus on only those, you'll find yourself in a very depressing cycle."

Christina the Cynic says: "Yes, I've heard that before and I can see that I'm not looking at the bigger picture and the positive outcomes that may come from this."

The MGCP says: "That is so true. That is why goal setting is not to be taken lightly. It is not an academic exercise. Either it will feed your enthusiasm for where you want to go or if done incorrectly it'll set you up for despair. If you never want to fail, just don't try. Eat the donut instead. You won't miss any goal you don't set. By not setting goals it assures you of not failing at a goal."

Christina the Cynic says: "Wait; if I didn't fail at a goal I didn't set then I must be successful at not reaching, right? That's twisted. I like it."