Monday Morning Mojo

Bullseye!

It takes a lot of hard work to hit the bullseye, doesn't it? Seemingly endless preparation. Grit. Practice. Maturity. Talent (talent? how did that get in there? Does talent take hard work?).

Backbone. Elbow grease. Tenacity. Perserverance. Resolve. Fortitude. Nerve. Steel. It seems it takes a lot of those things that drain you just thinking about them. Whew!

But what if it doesn't? I mean what if you could hit the bullseye without blood, sweat, and tears? What if you could just march in there, take a perfect shot, and be done with it? That would be worth knowing about, wouldn't it? Save a lot of time and labor, not to mention mental strife.

There's an ancient story about an archer who went looking for the perfect master, someone who could help him truly ascend the throne of his chosen discipline. He wandered the countryside for years in search of the perfect teacher until one day as he approached a village he was greeted by an arrow stuck in a tree, it's shaft piercing the very center of a three-ringed bullseye. Hmmm, interesting, he thought as he made his way towards the center of town.

All along the route he saw one bullseye after the next, each with the same three rings but painted in the most unlikely of locations. One was high atop cliff and another down in a gorge. There was a dart in the center of three rings on a stone out in the middle of a river and one on the rim of a wheel laying by the side of the road.

Each bullseye he came across was more remarkable than the last until he made his mind up that here in this tiny village he would find the master he had sought for so long. He found the head of the community and asked to be led to the master archer. "The what?" the mayor asked.

The master archer, the one who has let fly one remarkable arrow after the next. I did not see a single shaft that was amiss. They all had found the very center of their target!

"Ahhhh, I see," said the mayor, "Come with me." The mayor led the archer to the outskirts of town where there was a young boy with a bow and arrow. After shooting each of his arrows he would hunt it down, and paint three rings around it, wherever it had landed. His skill was not so much in shooting the arrow as it was making his way to the far off destination he had been able to puncture. His only discernment was in not hunting down those arrows that had failed to lodge somewhere altogether. Those he put back in his quiver or threw away if they had broken.

Is this a joke? A frivolous story? Hardly. There is something profound to be distilled from this tale. Each action we take carries us along our way, developing and maturing, and is a bullseye in its own context if not a superlative feat in a contest where the rules are set in advance by others.

But, what about success in the world? What about delivering results? What about bringing home the bacon and delighting the customer who has certain standards, expectations, hopes, and desires?

Here is my advice in that regard: Go straight for the outcome, seek the very center of the target and you will be amazed at what you can drop by the wayside. There are few and far between who know how to focus on the desired outcome and it alone. Those that do lower their labor their intensity remarkably, which frees them to focus their aim, attention, and efforts on only the very best.

There is more than way to achieve the bullseye. What if you could find a way to hit the very center of the target without all the accoutrements others want you to carry? You would indeed be operating with a light load. And perhaps that is exactly what you need to perform at your very best.

VisionaryLeadership.com