You’ve probably heard the advice a hundred times: set goals for your season. Write them down. Make them S.M.A.R.T. Post them somewhere you’ll see them every day.
And yet, most athletes go into the summer with a list that looks something like this: Make the starting lineup. Shave 3 seconds off my 400m. Win conference championship.
Those are all great goals, but they are all outcome goals. And when it comes to summer mental training for athletes, outcome goals alone aren’t enough. Here’s the problem: outcome goals are largely outside your control. Here’s the problem: outcome goals are largely outside your control. You can train every day, give it your all, and still fall short of an outcome because of factors that have nothing to do with you — a competitor having the best game of their life, a bad weather day, a coach’s decision, an injury.
When outcome goals are the only goals you’re focused on, your confidence becomes dependent on things you can’t control. And that’s a vulnerable place to compete from.
The athletes who make the biggest mental leaps understand that summer mental training for athletes isn’t just about reps in the weight room — it’s about building the mental foundation that carries you through next season. Specifically, mental performance goals: goals that target how you think, focus, respond, behave, and show up when it matters most.
Here’s how to do it.
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