An Unexpected Metaphor By Andres Agard For many years various people who have come in and out of my life have basically told me, not to sweat the small stuff. For the life of me I couldnt understand how people could be so cavalier about not paying attention to the small things that were road signs to me. When I was younger I had social anxiety because I felt weird for having such a strong inner voice. I felt like Woody Allen was the voice in my head. It didnt sound like him, but I thought I was neurotic. I would later find out that this voice was that of introspection. One that is so refined that its on autopilot at this point. Sometimes the autopilot leads me to interesting discoveries. My time in the Marine Corps helped me learn many things about leadership, comradery, discipline, amongst other things. There is one thing that I recently realized the Marine Corps taught me, and it ties into those small road signs I referred to earlier. Marine Corps Bootcamp was the first time I fired a rifle. Those who know Marine Corps history know that Marines are celebrated for our marksmanship and sniping. So you could imagine my trepidation at the thought of not qualifying on the rifle range. Well I barely qualified in bootcamp, but I did qualify. However I did eventually qualify as an expert rifleman twice while in the Fleet Marine Force. Expert is the highest qualifying category on the rifle range. Now more than 8 years after leaving active duty I finally realized how learning to shoot ties in with my view of my short term and long term goals. When on the range you are required to pass by hitting the target from 200, 300, and 500 meters in various shooting positions. You also have to pay attention to the conditions. Where the sun is, how windy it is, your distance to the target, and your breathing are just a few factors you have to consider. All with no scope. However, even after all of that has been taken into account, you still have the most important part, your sights. Your sights are what you use to aim at a given target. There is a rear sight and a front sight. Basically the target is supposed to be blurry and your sights aligned properly and clear. So basically, you shouldnt be looking at the actual target. To a novice this doesnt make sense, until it works. Its amazing to realize that from 500 meters away you can hit a target that is almost completely covered by your front sight, and is also blurry. My brain somehow related this process to lifes goals. The rear sight is equivalent to your immediate goal. The front sight is your short term goal. And the target is your long term goal. Not until you concentrate and align the two shorter goals can you achieve your overall goals. To concentrate on only your long term goal does not account for adjustments that have to be made during the process of realizing more immediate goals. Be fluid. There are no shortcuts. You may hit the target by accident if you skip steps, but to win in life you have to hit the mark consistently. Being able to replicate results consistently is key to building a winning process. Most importantly, allow for adjustment. If you dont hit the target know which way you missed and make the proper adjustment. Take it for what its worth, but just knowing this information is a powerful thing.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 13:51:32 +0000
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