Physie is a unique journey for each one of us. Some girls love the social aspect while others thrive on the challenge of improving their physical skills. You may be hoping to learn more about this sport so that you can one day be a teacher, or you may dream of being in a final on the stage! Your goals don’t have to look like someone else’s goals. But setting your goals at the beginning of the year is an important way of recognising what you have accomplished when you get to the end of the year.

The truth is, even if you dream of winning a silver cup or being called out as a finalist, only a few will experience these results. The standard of Physie is high and many hard-working competitors will walk away without realising their dream.

But don’t be discouraged! There is a secret that I have learned over many years of being a competitor and teacher: when you give your best and challenge yourself, you win, even if you don’t take home a prize.

One of the best ways to see if you have been improving is to have clear goals that you can measure that are not dependant on the results of an event.

Don’t get me wrong! I encourage everyone to dream big and go for their greatest goals!! But I also believe that the key to setting ourselves up for success is to have more than one way of measuring how we have improved over the course of the year.

SET MORE THAN ONE GOAL
Having goals that don’t include competition results ensure you can see improvement. Consider setting goals that you can measure clearly during the year and name what skill or trait you will develop by achieving that goal. For example:

• I will memorise my routines
• I will attend all my classes
• I will be able to do the splits on both legs
• I will make new friends and welcome new club members
• I will attend workshops about teaching and commit to learning more about being a good teacher
• I will commit to being part of a team and overcome my fear of competing
• I will have the fitness and endurance to run through all my routines twice without stopping.

BE SPECIFIC
Be clear on what you want to achieve. Describe it. Set a date that you will achieve it by. Write down how you will know when you have achieved your goal. For example:

• I will memorise my routines by 1^st I will video myself running through every routine.
• I will attend all classes. I will make a chart before next class and I will mark off every class I attend to see my progress.
• I will practice my balances every Saturday so that, when I compete, I am steady and controlled.

VISUALISATION
Use your imagination to see yourself achieving your goals. By seeing it with your imagination you will begin preparing your body to start doing what it needs to do to accomplish that vision.

GET CREATIVE
Creating a vision board of images that inspire you and remind you of your goals is a powerful tool for keeping your goals at the forefront of your mind. You could create a list of your goals on a poster and print it out.

PLAN YOUR CELEBRATIONS!
When you achieve your goal, no matter how small, it is important to recognise it and CELEBRATE! For example:

• Attending all your classes for a term might mean having time to hang out with a best friend doing your favourite things!
• Committing to a team might mean buying a new book or make-up bag or getting together with your teammates for some fun!
• For the mums who achieve a goal such as competing for the very first time, you might mark the occasion by going out to dinner or buying a nice new outfit!

This kind of goal setting is achievable and measurable and will ensure you recognise the amazing achievements you have made in 2020.

Now, who’s ready to do some goal setting?

Tamara Stiller