Guns have always scared the crap out of me. Until recently, that is!
Yeah, yeah, yeah “It’s not the guns, it’s the people….” Well, guess what?! It’s both!
My desire to learn how to shoot was born out of the creepy thought that if I ever needed to handle a gun to keep my family safe, I wouldn’t know how.
That’s not my style. Time to learn. (Apparently I’ve been watching waayyyy to much NCIS and Criminal Minds. Thanks, Mom.)
Like you, I’ve heard every quote in the book relating goals to targets. What I discovered is that many of these platitudes are actually TRUE. Who knew!
In just a few hours I learned that there’s nothing like a paper target and a .45 to teach you everything you need to know about setting and reaching your goals.
And if YOU have a vision for success, then YOU need to know what I just learned.
Get expert help Experience trumps everything: You not only need to learn what to do but, more importantly, you MUST learn what NOT to do.
Follow a time-proven formula If you don’t think you can do that, then either you’re not ready to achieve your goal, or you’ve selected the wrong teacher.
Prepare The YouTube videos I watched prepared me for The Captain’s half-hour, one-on-one tutorial on Gunology 101 that, in turn, prepared me for the shooting range. Enough happens that you can’t prepare for, so the things you can prepare for you should.
Focus Look straight ahead at your target (financial freedom, a healthy weight, increased confidence, etc.). Do NOT look behind you. Do NOT let your mind wander off your target. Ignore all distractions. The goal in front of you deserves your utmost attention and respect.
Pull the Trigger No amount of reading or talking about it beats actual experience. At some point you need to just take action (or, in my case, shoot the damn gun).
Take your time Sometimes you’ll need to stop, collect yourself, analyze your results, revisit #2, and then continue. Your other alternative would be to give up. That’s not why you’re reading this.
Be Flexible Your first strategy to achieve your goal may not be the best one, so stay open and be flexible. Initially I went for the ‘sissy’ gun, the .22 German Sporting Pistol. It felt safe, comfortable, and manageable. Curiously, I didn’t shoot nearly as well with that .22 as I did with the big, bad .45 Kimber M911 Officers model. (BTW, my new moniker is Pistol Queen!) In other words, I was able to handle a lot more power than I thought I could. Yes, so can YOU! My very first target!
Don’t compare Yourself There will be writers who write better than you. There will be speakers who speak better than you. And there will be many people who will earn more money than you do. Focus on YOUR goals and you won’t care about any of that. Remember: there is no one who will care more about you successfully reaching your goals than YOU do!
Goal Achievement is Incremental Don’t expect perfection. Sometimes you’ll hit your target the first time. Sometimes you’ll have to try 101 times. It matters only to your ego. Go for the base hits; not just the home runs. Focus, aim, fire, repeat and repeat and repeat. Each time you will increase your approximation to your goal. Promise.
Acknowledge Yourself You tried something new. It was scary, intimidating. You risked looking stupid. You risked failing. You didn’t. Celebrate!
If you don’t have a target, you need to get one right away.
(you don’t want to keep meandering through your life, do you?)
If you haven’t yet hit the target you have, I can show you how to get it done.
(if you could have done it on your own, you already would have!)
Please share in the comment section below — we’d love to learn from you.
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Nancy D. Solomon, MA Psych is the CEO and Founder of The Leadership Incubator where she helps leaders identify, address and resolve people problems before they become profit problems so everyone can focus on what they were hired to do-- INNOVATE AND DRIVE GROWTH.
Known as The Impact Expert, she is a main stage speaker, expert trainer and veteran coach who helps leaders solve key issues related to leadership development, employee engagement, and advancing women.
Nancy has made a difference for such companies as Microsoft, Target, Acura, Westin, Nordstrom & ADP as well as with many passionate individuals.