
Long-term goals can be a great motivator for self-improvement. They give us objectives that we can strive to achieve.
Some examples of long-term goals include owning a home, getting out of debt, or making it to NBA.
Everyone should have at least one long-term goal in mind that they wish to achieve. These goals can give people a general idea of what direction they want their life to go in.
However, every long-term plan needs to include shot-terms goals as well, they’re just as important as your long-term goals as they give you an objective to strive for in the near future.
Some examples of short-term goals include saving $400 a month, exercising three times a week, or running two miles every other day.
Short-term goals can allow you to stay on track toward achieving your ultimate long-term goals.
Combining Short and Long-Term Goals
Since this is a basketball themed blog, let’s use basketball as an example.
Let’s say you wanted to make it to the NBA (which is a long-term goal by all accounts), how do you go about achieving that? Do you have a plan to get from where you are right now—an unknown talent, to where you wanna get—a pro basketball player?
It’s crucial that you ask yourself these questions, because when your mind is presented with a question, it automatically goes to work looking for ways to solve that problem until it comes up with a solution.
And this is where planning comes into play.
You see, players don’t just randomly make it to the NBA, they had a plan involved, a step-by-step process where they gradually went from point A to point B, and each short-term goal they accomplished was a mileage gain.
You should also set goals midway through the journey such as, making it to the All-District/All-State team in high-school, receive a basketball scholarship, average a double-double for a season, etc.. All of these could potentially help you get to the NBA.
The Flexibility of Setting Your Own Goals
One of the best things about short and long-term goals is that they’re flexible and don’t always have to be set for a specific time.
Long-term goals can be set for two, ten, or twenty years in the future, while short-term goals usually range from days to months.
You can even set goals for the day.
For example, you set a goal to make 300 jump-shots in the next hour, or practice your ball-handling skills for the next 30 minutes, etc..
The important thing is that you’ll have these goals in mind and that you’ll make them as clear as possible.
To do that, a good practice is to write down your goals on a board/piece of paper and put it on the wall or somewhere you can see daily to be reminded of it.
And here’s why…
Some would argue that you should make it a habit to write down your goals every day, as it makes them even more compelling that way.
Either way, you should always write down your goals and try to break it down as much as you can.
But goal-setting by itself isn’t enough, you have to follow it up with action to make that goal a reality – and that’s where most people fail.
Why?
Well, the obvious answer is “easier said than done”, right?
But, it could also be that their goals were not real in the first place.
To understand what I mean by that, let’s take a look at what a real goal is.
The 5 Points That Constitute A True Goal
In today’s pop culture, many people make the mistake of thinking that they set a goal for themselves. But the truth is (and this might come as a shock to you), a lot of you guys might not have goals at all.
To understand what I mean, watch this excellent video by Leo from Acualized.org where he breaks down the critical points you need in order to get your goals realized.

Born and raised in sunny Florida, Jesse Parker grew up spending most of his days outdoors playing hoops and honing his basketball skills. He has a huge love for the game and is always striving to get better at it. His latest obsession is the subject of vertical jumping and dunking.
Good stuff jesse, helps with the grind. keep putting things like this.