Derek Jeter says setting 'small, incremental goals' helped make him a champion—here's how

CNBC

06-05-2025

One weekend early in high school, Derek Jeter was faced with a choice: join his friends on a fishing trip or stay behind to go to baseball practice. He presented the decision to his father, who told the teenager to think long and hard about what he wanted to do.
"He simply said, 'Look, if you want to be a fisherman, go. But if you want to be a Major League Baseball player, you got to go to practice,'" Jeter explained. "I skipped the fishing trip instead of skipping practice."
The importance of making the right choices was the theme of Jeter's address to the 2025 University of Michigan graduating class this past weekend.
"It is the intentional decisions we make, no matter how big or small they may seem at the time that pave the roads we take," the Hall of Fame shortstop told the graduates.
The five-time World Series champion said that while it was always his lifelong dream to play for the New York Yankees, he set "small, incremental goals, like making the Little League All-Star team" along the way.
By laying these more attainable goals out, Jeter was able to come up with a plan of attack to help bring them to fruition.
"Here's a simple tip I learned from my mom: Before each season, she would ask me, 'Did you write down your goals?'" Jeter said. "My mom never asked and I never told her what was on my list. But identifying and putting these goals down on paper, they help transform them from just ideas into actions. It is a choice."
For Jeter, honoring his choices is what led him to skip the fishing trip with his friends.
"It is what you do when no one else is watching that really makes you stand out," he said. "No one has to know about your choices but you."
Jeter's mantra is in line with advice from experts. Philosopher Francis Sanzaro told CNBC Make It in 2023 that he swears by the "power of subtraction," which he uses to minimize mental interference.
This strategy sees him focus less on his end goal and more on the steps along the way. For example, if his goal was to lose weight, he would focus on eating healthier meals rather than on the number he wants to hit on the scale.
This type of single-tasking can be practiced across various parts of your life. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
"The mind simply cannot rewire itself that quickly," Sanzaro said. "If you wait until the morning of and try some little mindset trick to get you into the 'right' state of mind, you will, in the end, just create internal resentment."
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