One of the problems we have as a society is clearly demonstrated by the Art of Archery. Society’s first and predominate thought is that the whole point of Archery is to hit the target, and as such, if you hit it you have succeeded and if you miss it you have failed.

This way of thinking can only lead to stress and anxiety…and I’ll explain why.

Imagine you are a professional Archer, your goal is to be the best and to be the best you need to hit that target again and again, as close to the centre as possible. You train for hours every day. You fire hundreds of arrows every day, and you see improvement in what you are doing. But then you have those days when you miss more than you hit and it leaves you upset, but determined to train harder and fire more arrows than your competitor.

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable plan.

My problem with this approach is the focus of success or failure is entirely on how many arrows hit the target, but you have no control over that.

“Yes I do, I practice and practice” I hear you say. Well of course you do, but stop and think for a minute, the split second that arrow leaves your fingers your control over the outcome ceases. A gust of wind blows the arrow off course. The target moves (if you’re hunting). The point is if you focus your energy on hitting the target, you are not focusing on the things you can control.

Making sure your arrows are of the best quality. Tending to your bow so it is in the best condition possible. Checking your eye sight to make sure you have clear vision. Practising breathing exercises to steady your hand. Learning new and better ways to train and practice.

It’s the journey to the point of release that matters most. If you do everything that is in your control to assist you in being the best archer you can be…then the moment the arrow leaves your fingers you can rest easy regardless of where the arrow goes, because after that it’s out of your hands. What happens more often in life is we miss the target and look to blame.

Be proud of your journey not your achievement. It doesn’t mean you get the journey right, it means that you did everything you could to the best you could at that time…then the goal is irrelevant to your happiness.

Live a Life Worth Living

John Rosel

info@the4pillarsoflife.com.au

www.the4pillarsoflife.com.au

When you Shoot an Arrow, the Target is Unimportant