When we got out to the field he began the task of plowing the soil to prepare it for planting. I watched in awe as he expertly handled that big tractor. When we looked behind us we could see the straight as an arrow rows that he had plowed. After what seemed like an eternity he ask me if I wanted to try. With pride I jumped behind the wheel of the tractor and away we went. When we looked behind us the rows were as crooked as if a snake had plowed them.
It was then that I learned a life-lesson I have never forgotten. My grandfather told me the reason the rows I plowed were not as straight as his, was not because I couldn’t drive the tractor right, but rather because I was focusing on the wrong thing. You see when I drove the tractor I was constantly looking behind me to admire what I had done. He taught me the secret to plowing a straight row was to find something on the horizon to aim at and to stay focused on it. He taught me you can’t plow a straight row if you are constantly looking back. So I did what he told me to do. I picked a tree or a fence post on the far end of the field and never took my eyes off of it. When I finished my first row we looked back and the row I had plowed was as straight as any he had plowed.
This is the way it is in all areas of life. You cannot arrive at your destination if you get off course. Far too many never see their goals fulfilled because they lose focus of where they are going and what they want to accomplish. They allow circumstances and people to distract them from their main objectives. They constantly look back at what they’ve done or could have done differently.
Track stars understand the necessity of keeping their eyes on the finish line. One of the first things you learn when you begin to run track is to look straight ahead. You learn to not look around at what the other runners are doing. Why? Because doing so will distract you, slow you down, and cause you to get off course. By focusing on the finish line, you are putting yourself in position to win the race.
What are you aiming at? What goals do you want to achieve? What do you want to accomplish? How is your focus? Are you on track or are you off track? By learning to stay on track you can be assured that you will reach your destination if you don’t quit!
Here are some keys to help you stay "On Track."
1. Focus. Great achievers have the ability to focus and stay focused on their goals. They have the ability to block out things that would destroy their focus ability. To succeed you must learn to concentrate on what you are doing until. Don’t break your focus until you have reached your goals.
2. Beware of distractions. There are all kind of seemingly important things vying for your attention. Everything from phone calls, unexpected visitors, honey-do lists, and even emergencies can distract you from your objectives if you allow them to.
3. Don’t be easily discouraged. Another deterrent to staying on track is discouragement. Setbacks, criticism, unexpected circumstances, can all produce discouragement. To be successful you must learn to stay encouraged. Keep the end result in mind. By focusing on the joy of accomplishment you are able to ward off discouragement.
4. Commit to the long haul. Far too many give up to soon because of delays in reaching their goals. You must remember that in most things there is no overnight success. There are many delays on the road to accomplishment. Don’t allow yourself to give up because of delays.
5. Make on course adjustments. When NASA launches a spacecraft to travel to a particular destination, whether it is the moon or a planet, in order for it to reach it’s destination there must be constant course adjustments made. Being off just a few centimeters can cause the craft to miss its destination by thousands of miles. So it is with all of life. In order to successfully reach your goals and objectives you must make constant adjustments to your goals, plans and thinking, to get where you want to go.
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