Arrow Towards Goal Achievement Like Alison Williamson!

You know what bugs me about the Olympics? What bugs me most is when they start the sports before the opening ceremony! This article takes a goal achievement lesson from one of those sports…
The Great Gordino Alison Williamson
I noticed it first at the Beijing Games, when the women’s football started 2 days before the Opening Ceremony. Not only did that make it sound silly when someone declared the Games “open” at the ceremony, when the sport had started 2 days previously, it also seems somewhat unfair on the athletes involved.

It implies that their participation is not really part of the Olympics yet. The reason given was scheduling and timing, but my comeback would be that if an event can’t be completed within the 2 week official Olympics, then it shouldn’t be in there!

The same has happened in London 2012, with the women’s football starting 2 days before the ceremony. Then, to my horror, I noticed that archery is also taking place early!

No scheduling reason for that at all, so my anger is bubbling again!

Let’s look at archer Alison Williamson, competing in her 6th Olympics. She won a bronze in Athens and was on the shortlist to carry the GB flag in London. Ever heard of her? Maybe not, she’s not plastered all over the press, but in my view she’s *exactly* what the Olympics is about.

I decided to focus on the archers, and use them to make a goal achievement point which almost seems too glib and easy. Don’t let the simplicity of the idea fool you though…

I’ve often written about the steps of a goal achievement ‘formula’. Most things we do are based on this formula, whether we realise it or not, so it can really powerful to *deliberately* put it into effect.

Using the idea of shooting an arrow into a target gives a very simple illustration, and it’s what Alison and the other archers will be doing in London (before the opening ceremony!)

You start by defining your goal, which is to hit the bullseye.
Then you believe it and visualise it. If you don’t believe or visualise hitting the target, where do you think the arrow will go?

Then you find out the steps you need to take – with archery it’s how to hold the bow, which muscles to build up, where to take lessons.

Then you work backwards to arrive at the step you need to take next – that could be ringing up a local archery club to ask about lessons.

Then you take action! One of the biggest steps, this one. All the steps up to now will come to nothing if you don’t take action!

Then you need to keep going. That could mean keeping up with your lessons, buying better equipment, joining associations and entering competitions, tweaking your technique, and so on.

Do you think Alison Williamson put all these steps in place? Of course she did!
Throw in sacrifice and years of good old hard work, and that’s what takes you to 6 Olympics!

You can see that all the steps of the goal achievement formula can be found in her story, and archery as an image, so spare a thought for those athletes who have to compete before the Olympics are ‘officially’ open, and think about your own goal, which step are you at in the formula?

Let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, share, like, tweet etc, your feedback’s always appreciated!

‘Til Next Time,
Health & happiness,
Gordon
P.S. My motivational book goes into more detail of this ‘arrow’ formula – ‘Transform Your Life in 21 Days!’
P.P.S. Make money from your love of sport? I love doing it, and you can too with my my guide ‘How To Make Money From Sport!

Do leave a comment!

Leave a Reply to Michelle Mahoney X

7 Comments

    • Thanks Harriet!
      I’ve never understood it!
      The archery is going on even as I type, but I can’t even watch it on the TV!
      I’m also amazed that I have never seen this queried by the sports presenters – I’m sure we aren’t the only ones to get miffed by it!

      I had forgotten Alison was at her 6th Olympics before I researched for this – now *that’s* an achievement!

  • Have to agree with you there, Gordino. It certainly seems to belittle the importance of those sports, and I’d be a bit peeved if I was one of the athletes involved in any of those sports.

    Cheers,
    Ray

    • BBC making big deal of covering every moment on multi channels…except the archery today – nothing!
      I think if a sport can’t be organised to fit in the official 2 week window, it shouldn’t be allowed in – I bet *that* would pull a few fingers out to change things!
      Cheers, Gordon

  • Great post – I don’t even know where to start commenting! Grr to them scheduling games before the opening ceremony! Boo and hiss. Especially archery. I love archery, though I don’t really “follow” it. I do have my own bow and arrows though, and a big stack of hay in my backyard. I just need some lessons. 😉

    I love the way you compared your goals to archery. Definitely something I can relate to.

    • Even today when they call it Day 1, I’m screaming that it’s day 4 – although officially the football started on Day -3! Brit Archer Alison Williamson in her 6th Games! That’s imnpressive, won a bronze in Beijing, not likely to medal this time, but great Olympian!

      Cheers, Gordon