Sacrifice in the Context of Setting Youth Wrestling Goals
Yesterday I wrote about a Jordan Burroughs quote on sacrifice. In this quote he explains that sacrifice is both doing more and doing less. Today I want to juxtapose that concept with Seth Godin’s perspective on goals in the context of setting goals in youth wrestling. Godin breaks goals down into two types:
- Give up goals: goals that require giving up something through sacrifice
- Go up goals: goals that require going up to the next level to achieve something
For example, a youth wrestler may give up their Xbox or phone in order to help them achieve their go up goal of placing at a national or state tournament they never previously placed at. However, when you compare Seth Godin’s concept of give up goals and go up goals with the Burroughs’ concept of sacrifice, you notice something is missing. A third type of goal.
The third goal type to add to give up and go up goals is a grow up goal.
Grow up, Give Up, and Go up Goals
Grow up goals are those necessary sacrifices that Burroughs would put in the do more category. Give up goals are those necessary sacrifices that Burroughs would put in the do less category. While go up goals are those outcomes that one is sacrificing to achieve.
For example, a grow up goal for a youth wrestler may be to wake him or herself up earlier each day to do pull-ups without parental influence or help. This is a clear sign of growing up and taking ownership of one’s goal. The give up goal to go with this is to stop wasting time on their phone or gaming device in the evening so they can get to bed earlier. Success or failure achieving both of these goals is 100% under the wrestler’s control.
On the other hand, when the go up goal is something like getting on the podium at a tough national or state tournament, that’s not under the wrestler’s control. Go up goals provide motivation, but go up goals don’t provide process.
The go up goals are important, but without the give up and grow up goals, go up goals are less meaningful. Grow up and give up goals are process oriented, and process is what makes go up outcomes possible.