Cam Leslie: Put it in writing!

Double Paralympic swimming gold medallist Cameron Leslie believes in putting goals down in writing.

Every year I ask myself 'do I need to make a New Year's resolution?', and the answer is always 'no'.

I'm a goals-driven man, I don't need a particular time of year to urge me to set a goal.

In my early years in sport, I was taught in order to make a goal real I had to write it down.

When it's on paper you have created something that you, and possibly others, know is real. It happened, you wrote it down.

If the goal/s stay in your head and you don't achieve them, then it's easy for an attitude of 'who cares, no one needs to know' to happen.

The point is not to gain recognition from others either, it is for yourself to look back on.
If a goal was achieved then know you did what you set out to do. If not, then it's a great time to reflect and ask 'why?'.

I'm a firm believer in learning from your own and others' mistakes, this process of reflection is forcing you to learn from your actions.

As a 14-year-old I was taught this, and it is reassuring to know other athletes do it too - an example being Richie McCaw.

However, there's a fine line I feel between being ambitious and being over ambitious.

Some probably think I sell myself short with my goals but I am a believer in setting the bar low and always over achieving, to gain a little confidence in yourself.

For example, I have always - minus the Rio Paralympics - set the goal of achieving a podium finish at swimming events with a particular target time.

The ultimate finish is gold, but the real goal is the target time.

That time has been set with gold in mind but ultimately if it's a silver and I've hit the target time, then it's deemed a success.

Rather than coming up with a New Year's resolution over a few beers and talking smack around it, write it down.

Write it in your phone as a note, or on a piece of paper. Make it real.

It also gives you something to focus yourself when you feel lost during the year.

Know, also, that it's not just you who will be putting pen to paper.

I've already done it. Bring on 2017, I say.