Ever set a goal at the beginning of the season that you forget about a few weeks later? Maybe you wanted to improve your 2k time, make the varsity boat, become a stronger teammate, or feel more confident on race day—but somewhere between early-morning practices, school, homework, and everything else, that goal fell to the bottom of your priority list.

It happens more often than you think.

You set a goal, struggle to stick with it, get frustrated with yourself, and start wondering if you're disciplined enough to accomplish what you set out to do.

Eventually, you might even stop setting goals altogether.

I get it. If you've struggled to follow through in the past, why should this time be any different?

Here's what I want you to know: struggling to reach a goal doesn't mean you're not capable of achieving it. It means you may need a clearer plan, a little more structure, and support along the way.

As a high school rower, you're balancing a lot. You're training hard, keeping up with school, navigating friendships, and trying to get enough rest to recover between practices. Having a goal is one thing; figuring out how to work toward it amid everything else in your life is another.

These three things will determine if you reach your goal or not. 

 

01. Did you write down your goal + make a plan?

After fifteen years of chasing National Championships, World Championships, World Cup trophies, and the Olympics, you could say goal setting - and going after those goals - is in my blood.

It was an integral part of my success on and off the water; I can say unequivocally that I wouldn’t have made it to the Olympics without strong goal setting. 

It wasn’t just big events I’d set a goal for. I’d set annual goals, goals for each test on the rowing machine, weight lifting goals, leadership goals, and specific aims for each of my races in the spring, summer, and fall seasons. 

With all these goals, let’s start with the most important factor: writing it down. 

A goal isn’t real until it’s written down. Full stop. 

Here’s the best part: studies have shown that if you write it down (old fashioned style, with a pen and paper), you’re 42% more likely to achieve it. Forty two percent! This alone has a huge impact on whether you’re successful or not. 

Once you write down your goal, make a plan.

Let's say your goal is to improve your 2k performance before the end of the season. Instead of focusing only on the final result, think about the smaller things that will help you improve along the way.

Breaking a big goal into smaller, manageable steps makes it easier to know what to focus on today instead of feeling overwhelmed by everything you want to accomplish this season.

And remember, your goals don't have to be about performance. Maybe you want to manage your time better, feel more confident speaking up during team meetings, improve your grades, or become a more supportive teammate.

Breaking your goal into bite sized chunks makes the big-ness of it seem so much more manageable. 

 

02. Do you have a way to track your progress?

Once you have a plan, you’ll need a way to see if you’re making the progress you need to to reach your goal. 

Your goal tracker doesn’t have to be fancy. 

If you set a goal to get 8 hours of sleep 3 days a week, it can be a piece of paper where you tally those days each week. If you’ve got daily actions associated with your goal, you could use this sheet to shade in each day you do it.