When I was a freshman and sophomore in college playing basketball I was a HORRIBLE free throw shooter.
Sometime late in my sophomore year my coach asked me to stay after practice and work with me on my free throws in hopes of helping me improve in that very weak area of my game.
He asked me to just shoot a few shots as he watched.
After shooting four or five he asked me a question.
“What are you looking at?”
I wasn’t sure what he meant so I asked him, “What do you mean?”
“When you shoot the ball what do you look at?”
It wasn’t something I’d ever thought about, I just shot the ball.
He already knew the answer to the question but he wanted me to figure it out on my own.
“Take a couple more shots and see what it is you look at when you shoot,” he said.
As I took a couple of shots I noticed that my eyes followed the flight of the ball as it headed towards the rim.
“When I shoot I watch the ball to see if it goes in or not,” I told him.
Immediately he said, “There’s your problem.”
“You need to keep your eye on the target. Look at the front of the rim and keep your eyes focused on the goal.”
Interesting. I’d been playing basketball all my life and that was a lesson I’d never learned or had never applied. I always watched the flight of the ball on free throws and regular shots.
As a junior my free throw percentage rose into the mid-seventy percentage range, considered to be a good free throw shooter.
In my senior year I shot in the low 80% range, considered to be very good to excellent free throw shooting.
Along with shooting my free throws better, I adapted this behavior of looking at the rim rather than the flight of the ball with my shooting apart from free throws. Interestingly enough, I became a better all around shooter after focusing on the goal.
My coach’s encouragement to keep my eye on the goal and not on the flight of the ball works for basketball but also works for other areas in our life as well.
In my recent Reader Survey I asked people what they would do over the next five years if fear or lack of courage were no object. Here are some of the responses:
- Become debt free
- Lose weight
- I’m afraid of flying
- Take a mission trip to Africa
- Several around job transitions
- Many responses fear of what others think or lack of self-worth
Many of the responses around what others think and self-worth I can relate to.
As I think about each of these I believe a big challenge for anyone trying to reach these goals is focusing on the short-term and not on the goal. Just as I did in watching the ball this short-term thinking gets us off track from the beginning.
It’s important to know what the goal is and then build a plan to make that happen. I don’t do this very well either but recognize the value of that thought process and am working to incorporate it into my life.
As you take each step on your journey always know what your ultimate goal is and focus on that just as I learned to focus on the rim.
As I look at the list of potential goals from my readers I see each one of them will present lots of challenges and opportunities to quit and retreat back into the comfort of your shell.
The reward of reaching those goals for those people will bring tremendous satisfaction and joy upon completion.
It will take courage to reach those goals.
It will takes courage to fail along the way but continue the journey.
It will takes courage to keep your eyes focused on the rim and not on the flight of the ball.
Do you have the courage to keep your eyes on the reward and not on the obstacles?
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Have a STRONG and COURAGEOUS day!
David, once again, some good life advice. Find it interesting that No One mentioned being more happy. In the rat race we all seem to live in to provide shelter, clothing, toys, newer cars, you know, all those important trappings of success, it seems to me that we lack happiness in our Country. Watching the debates the other night, they were only happy when they were ripping each other. My stated goal is to be happier, laugh more and make those around me happier! Wish me luck please!
Craig, thank you for providing some great life advice! I think much of the lack of happiness in our country is people expecting others to make them happy. Your stated goal is great life advice and the more you provide happiness to others the happier you will be as well, I believe! Blessings to you and your family, Craig!
Dave
Thanks Dave, fighting pneumonia right now and struggling with that. Hoping to head back to AZ this Friday and get some AZ sunshine back in my life. Blessings my friend!!