Eyes on the Prize

Tonight's thought may end up to be a winding road; but then again; aren't they all?

As you know, I enjoy power sports.

One of my favorite parts of power sports is trail riding.  And one of the best places to ride that I'm aware of is in what we refer to as "the north woods" of our state.  As you can imagine, in that part of the area, the trails that we ride can get very narrow, and run through the trees.    

Be it a snowmobile or an ATV, running the trails around here means that you are moving at a relatively high rate of speed sometimes within inches of the trees on the side of the trail.  Yes, it can be dangerous.  But there is a trick to avoiding injury.  Don't look at the trees.

See, when you ride these trails, you have to constantly train your mind to watch the spaces between the obstacles around you.  You are constantly looking to the next curve in the trail and beyond.  The tree that you just passed is just beyond the hole between the trees that you were looking at two corners ago.  The old saying is to not look at the trees coming up, or you will hit them.  As long as you keep your focus on the space between the obstacles as far ahead as you can see, you will likely make your way cleanly down the trail. Anybody who has ever raced anything will give you a similar example; from motorcycles, to cars, to go-karts.

Downhill skiers use this trick as well.   Years ago, I spent several years avidly, almost obsessively, spending time honing my downhill skiing skills.  One of the hardest skills to master is mogul skiing.  For those not familiar, a mogul field is that part of the ski hill that is covered with man-made, staggered bumps, sometimes up to three feet high.  The idea of skiing the bumps as they are called, is to match the rhythm of your turns to the spacing of the bumps.  The problem is that the bumps are not always spaced evenly, so it is a constant adjustment of rhythm.  Any good ski instructor will advise you to always try to be skiing four to five turns ahead of the bump you just turned on.  It is the only way to find your groove down the mountain, and when accomplished, will make you look and feel like a professional.  Properly skiing the bumps is a truly zen-like experience.

Football running backs follow a similar line of logic.  The player will rarely actually be looking at the opponent trying to block him, or bring him down.  rather, if you watch, that player has already anticipated the moves of the person immediately near him, and is already moving on to focusing on finding the next hole in the defense.

Even in chess.  The world's best chess players, or "connect four" players for that matter, will constantly anticipate the moves of their opponent, and adjust their own play with the fourth move in mind. It changes the mindset from a reactive, defensive game to one of strategy and planning.

In each of these examples, the central idea is to maintain focus on where you are headed.   Think of the X-Games.  I have watched people jump some amazing machines over some amazing obstacles and distances.   Having a basic understanding of airborne machines; my normal interest in watching is through the concept of keeping the machine balanced in such a manner as to land it safely.  

In case you have never jumped a motorcycle; it is more than just running it off a ramp and hanging on.  Listen and watch closely some time.   The folks performing these stunts have an absolutely amazing sense of how to keep the machine, which often outweighs them, balanced in the air.   If you listen and watch closely, you will notice a few things...   When airborne, you will often see or hear the rider manipulate the throttle and brakes of the bike in order to keep the nose up, down or neutral as they cross the air.  Simply put, they are using the rotation and weight of the engine and wheels to rotate the bike in the air so as to ensure a good landing. It is a lot to do, and requires immense concentration.

But watch where they are looking while they perform.  They are not looking down.  Or at the bike.  They will have their gaze fixed wholly on the landing ramp, specifically on the part of the landing ramp that they want to hit.   Eyes on the prize.   Looking between the trees.   Looking to the fourth bump.  (or interestingly, in the eyes of our Native Americans, looking to the 7th generation)

I guess the common thread here is focus and planning.   Whatever your goal is, keep your eyes on the prize.  See your obstacles early, adapt, and move on to planning for the next obstacle.   In any example that i have given, that person would tell you not to look at the trees or you will hit it.   Watch beyond where you intend to go, and then go there.  Then look beyond where you want to go next. Be proactive in your planning, make a plan, and then revise your plan through being proactive again.   Rinse and repeat until the goal is reached.   And then make a new goal.