Hitting Your Target

My son is a freshman at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School. (Go Rams!)

He’s played hockey since he was about 8, but he decided to play basketball this year. He tried out, made the team, and is a starting player.

He’s very athletic but is still gaining confidence playing on a basketball team. In his first game, he only took two shots. He had plenty of other opportunities but would pass the ball instead.

After the game, I talked with him and said, “You played great. I’d love to see you shooting the ball more when you have a chance.”

His second game was last night. He played well again, and in this game, he took more shots. Some went in, many didn’t.

He was a bit down on himself after the game, saying he missed a bunch of points.

I asked him, “I understand that’s frustrating, but what does that mean?”

“That I was shooting more,” he responded.

“Exactly,” I replied. “The more you shoot, the more opportunities you have to score. Don’t worry. With each game, you’ll get more comfortable and confident. The ball will start going in. You just have to keep shooting.”

It reminds me of a humorous quote, “The odds of hitting your target go up dramatically when you aim at it.”

The problem many people have (myself included) is that we don’t have a clear target.

A whole sector of people and products explores goal-setting, habits, and human behavior. Some are legit. Some are just trying to sell you something.

I wanted to share with you two of my favorite methods for setting goals and building positive habits to support them.

1. YearCompass

YearCompass is a 100% free workbook that helps you reflect on the previous year and plan the next one. January is the perfect time of year to implement it.

“With a set of carefully selected questions and exercises, YearCompass helps you uncover your own patterns and design the ideal year for yourself.”

Visit their website to download a digital version or print and complete it by hand. Either way, you’ll want to block off some quiet time to be thoughtful, present, and honest as you work through the questions.

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

I’ve read a lot of ‘productivity’ books. Atomic Habits is one of the few that actually changed my behavior. I’ve re-read it multiple times and always get tremendous value from it.

Visit the website to learn more about it and find where to buy the book.

I also highly recommend his (free) weekly email. 

It’s always insightful and thought-provoking and is one of the few newsletters I stay subscribed to year after year. 

Here’s to a productive 2025. 

Set your goals, aim for your targets, and take your shots.