Outcome goals represent our ultimate destination, and performance and process goals are the paths for getting there. Disaster awaits if we focus too much on outcome without developing the action plan to achieve it. When Steve Nash sinks a 3-pointer with the game on the line and defenders in his face, he's not thinking, "I have to make this shot to win the game." His thinking is much more process oriented: "Stay relaxed, square up, good rhythm, strong follow through." In sport, where highly complex skills require years of practice to master, process goals should function as the stepping stones to achieving the performance levels that will ultimately lead to desired outcomes (such as placing high and winning)