Why Athletes Who Dream Bigger, Perform Better

Edition 56

You won't win state with a conference-sized vision.

There’s a plague going around and it’s called dreaming small. I suffered from it.

I had a goal in grade school – start on my team. And, I trained to start on my team. 

Then I had a goal to be unguardable. And I trained to be unguardable. Then I dreamed bigger.

My new goal: be the most impactful player on the court. So, I trained to be the most impactful player on the court.

I set an audacious goal to win the state title game 3X in high school. My team won once and lost twice.

As I dreamed bigger, I trained harder.

II

Setting goals isn't always about reaching them, but about expanding your mind.

Let’s say your team won 2 games last year. This year your goal is to win 5. This is an improvement from last year, but it’s not as transformative as aiming to win the conference.

Each new level unlocks blind spots unseen at the previous one.

Imagine a high school player training to get a scholarship to play football.

Now, imagine a high school player aiming to win the college football playoff.

Oftentimes a difference in goal-setting leads to a difference in training.

The player training to win the college football playoff will be more disciplined, will have a more holistic approach, and a bigger drive.

III

Initially, I thought the "10X Rule" seemed ridiculous: why set what appears to be an unattainable goal? Now, I see it's sometimes about pushing your thinking beyond familiar boundaries.

Remember the two football players example from above? The same is true for team goals. 

If your goal is winning the conference, dream bigger. Strive for state. You won't win state with a conference-sized vision. You'll lose to those thinking and executing at a higher level, with a grander vision.

IV

Nuance: Some goals are hard to 10x. If you bench 225, that would be a TOUGH goal to 10x, considering the world record is 782 lbs.

Ask me how I know 😏 and I’ll tell you “Google” haha :) 

But, by 10x’ing your current goal, you’ll ask yourself, “What would I have to do to make this a reality?” You’ll discover blind spots and solutions. Things you’re not doing that you should be. You’ll realize it’s more attainable than you think.

Dreaming small sets a ceiling on your potential.

Like when I was training to be unguardable — but I wasn’t training to impact the game outside of having the ball in minds hands.

In sports especially, your achievements often reflect the scale of your ambitions. 

You'll rarely achieve more than what you train for because confidence is such a huge factor in performance.

Ever hear a team say, “I would’ve never expected this,” after winning a championship?

Me neither.

Dylan

P.S. Of course, all this goal talk is nothing without doing the work. Do the work!

P.P.S. 🎉 I’ve officially sold 150 copies of my book! I appreciate every one of you who reads my work — it means a lot :)