In goal-setting, keep your eyes on the prize. See your goal. Work towards your goal. Dream about your goal. Forget distractions for a while.

Focusing on your goals in life often requires a tunnel vision that we lack. We’re so caught up in the multiple things going on in our surroundings, whether it’s our phone pinging with another notification or our mind buzzing with stress from another commitment. It never stops. We live in an era where our minds are constantly occupied by the pile of commitments and our never-shutting down electronics.

An old tale about a warrior prince: What do you see?

Arjun, a warrior Prince, and his brothers and cousins were being trained in archery and Warcraft by the great teacher Drona. As Drona assembled the young princes together and placed a wooden sparrow on the branch of a tree, he asked them a simple question as they held the bow and arrow, “what do you see?” after instructing them to aim for the sparrow’s eye. When asked, the first prince responded, “the bird, the branches, the tree.”

Following his lead, the second prince responded, “I see the sky, the clouds, the sun…Oh, Drona.” All the princes in line effectively described their surroundings vividly.

When Drona asked Arjun the same question, he responded: “blackness, my teacher. Blackness.”  Stunned, Drona asked him what the blackness was. Arjuna cleverly answered “it is the blackness in the center of the eye of the sparrow. I can see nothing else.”

Impressed by his subjects’ focus, Drona instructed Arjun to shoot while telling him “you will be the Master Archer someday.” Arjuna, to this day, remains the best archer and a warrior without equal.

Work towards your goal

As this story teaches us: see your goals. Work towards your goals. Dream about your goals. Forget everything but your goal. Perfect the ability to do this and you’ll assure high performance.

As we’re constantly running behind our goals to achieve them, we forget to sit down and take a moment to focus on them. So, the next time you want to complete a task, remember nothing but the task.

Forget distractions for a while, until you complete what you need to.  The surroundings, your cell phone, your other commitments, or anything else, does not matter. With a sharp eye focus, you’re sure to complete your tasks efficiently and thoroughly.

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