Bull’s eye!
What’s more important skill or focus or…?
As Julian and Yogi Raman are taking the journey to enlightenment through the high mountains of Himalayas, they stop by and master gives a practical class to his pupil.
Yogi Raman then asked Julian to put the handkerchief over his eyes as a blindfold.
“How far away from the rose am I?” Yogi Raman asked his pupil. “One hundred feet,” Julian guessed.
“Have you ever observed me in my daily practice of this ancient sport of archery?” the sage queried, in full knowledge of the response that would come.
“I have seen you strike the bull’s-eye from a mark almost three hundred feet away and I cannot recall a time that you have ever missed at your current distance,” Julian noted dutifully. Then, with his eyes covered by the cloth and his feet placed securely in the earth, the teacher drew the bow with all his energy and released the arrow — aiming directly at the rose hanging from the tree. The arrow struck the large oak with a thud, missing its mark by an embarrassingly large distance.
“I thought you were going to display more of your magical abilities, Yogi Raman. What happened?”
“We have travelled to this isolated place for one reason only I have agreed to reveal all my worldly wisdom to you. Today’s demonstration is meant to reinforce my advice on the importance of setting clearly defined objectives in your life and knowing precisely where you are going. What you just saw confirms the most important principle for anyone seeking to attain their goals and to fulfill their life’s purpose: you will never be able to hit a target that you cannot see. People spend their whole lives dreaming of becoming happier, living with more vitality and having an abundance of passion. Yet they do not see the importance of taking even ten minutes a month to write out their goals and to think deeply about the meaning of their lives, their Dharma. Goal setting will make your life magnificent. Your world will become richer, more delightful and more magical.”
“You see, Julian, our ancestors have taught us that setting clearly defined objectives for what we desire in our mental, physical and spiritual world is critical to their realization. In the world you came from, people set financial and material goals. There is nothing wrong with this, if this is what you value. However, to attain self-mastery and inner enlightenment, you must set concrete objectives in other areas as well. Would it surprise you to know that I have clearly defined objectives with respect to the peace of mind I desire, the energy I bring to each day and the love that I offer to all those around me? Goal-setting is not just for distinguished lawyers such as yourself who reside in a world full of material attractions. Anyone who wishes to improve the quality of their inner as well as their outer worlds would do well to take out a piece of paper and start writing out their life aims. At the very moment that this is done, natural forces will come into play which start to transform these dreams into reality.”
You will never be able to hit a target that you cannot see.
It’s not a matter of skill or focus alone. It’s more to do with common sense. How will you hit a target that you don’t see? Better see what you want to get and than aim for it. This also implies in our work lives, where in hordes of professionals just go through the motion without even thinking where they are going to!
Simple and amazing lesson! This story is from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma.
