I believe that my original goal was reasonable. I was standing right over the trashcan and was pretty confident that if I just dropped the crumpled piece of paper it would go into the trashcan (which it did).
I made my first shot (although barely, it hit the rim of the trashcan but went in). I did not make my second shot, though. It was actually maybe a foot short and far to the left. My confidence decreased from the first shot to the second shot because I knew that it would be more difficult (and from previous experiences, I knew that my shooting ability was not the best).
I blamed my inability to throw anything straight when reflecting on why I didn’t make the second shot. Even if I try to set myself up like I am really playing basketball or something, whenever I shoot something, I tend to shoot too far to the left (I’m right handed). My decreased confidence from the first to the second shot was probably controllable; however, my experience with shooting wads of paper and missing sort of set me up to know that the odds of making the shot were slim. I know that (for the most part) it’s not just luck that the wad would make it to the trashcan. I could practice a bit and get a feel for the distance/weight of the wad and then I’d probably eventually be able to make it into the trashcan on every shot. After practicing and mastering the shot, my confidence would increase and I would feel better in my ability to make the shot.
Perhaps if I changed my attitude about my ability to shoot, then my intrinsic motivation would increase. By practicing with the goal of being able to make the shot from far away, I could increase my motivation and see that I can work towards accomplishing a skill. Because it was just me shooting the wad (and I haven’t read other posts yet about the success and failures of my peers), there was no competitive atmosphere, which greatly helped me feel better about not doing so well on the shot.
I know that there is no reward for making the shot, except for my own satisfaction in knowing that I can do it. Thus there is no extrinsic motivation (at this point in time). I didn’t make the shot but with practice, I know that I could improve my skills and make the shot (proving to myself that if I set my mind to a goal and work/practice then I can achieve that goal).
From your description, you tend to attribute to both controllable and uncontrollable factors. 'I shoot far to the left' sounds like a capacity that you can't control--something that is a characteristic of YOU. As you describe, practicing gives you a sense of all the things you CAN control, based on weight of the paper, distance, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that your confidence went DOWN after the first shot. Since you made your first shot, your confidence should have gone up, because you showed that you COULD perform the task. It seems like it went down because you remembered your past experience and felt that you have a particular (described as somewhat noncontrollable) characteristic that causes you to shoot to the left. If, at that point, you decided to try to shoot more RIGHT than usual, that may have been more motivating and confidence building....