This past week, my family watched the documentary Free Solo. This documents the journey of climber Alex Honnold as he prepares for and completes to climb the infamous El Capitan without the aid of any safety devices. Anything less than perfection and Alex would be dead as he ascends 3,000 feet over just under 4 hours.
As we watched, one of my children asked, “Does he ever look down?” No, Alex never looked down – he was a man a mission and his eyes were set firmly on his goal: the summit. There was absolutely no value in him looking down – everything had to be focused on where he was going.
I know it sounds cliché to say, but the lesson here is vital to our success. If we want to achieve great things, we need to keep our eyes focused on the goal. We don’t have time to dwell on the past – whether filled with failures or success. We can only achieve on which we are laser focused.
When we coach cycling, we are constantly reminding the athletes to look where they want to go and never look where they don’t. If they instead focused on the oncoming car, the cliff next to them, or the curb in the corner, they are likely to veer towards these items. Instead, they must stay focused on where they want to go.
Life is no different. We must stay focused on our goals. I want you right now to decide where you want to go, refocus your eyes on this goal, and don’t look back.
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