Footballers, Doctors and Archers

Success is a buzzword today. Go and ask University students and corporate executives what they want to do in life and inevitably ‘success’ will make an appearance in their answers. The question that comes to mind is: What is success? It may be different things for different people — for some it may be related to family and for others, work; for some it may be monetary and for others about contribution to society. No matter the definition, what is important is that we have one.

What is success to you? Answering this question builds the foundation. Success for the archer is to hit the bull’s eye, for the doctor, it is to cure the patient, and for the footballer, it is to score the goal. What bull’s eye are you trying to hit? What malaise do you want to heal? What goal are you looking to score? Once established, this becomes your definition of success.

Then, there is the essential question of where you are at present. The footballer may think of the current status of his teammates and the opposing team. He will also consider time and location. The archer will consider the wind and the landscape, along with his standing in relation to it all. You need to discover and assess where you are. With respect to things that will help you achieve your goal, where do you stand right now, internally and externally?

Then comes the last step. With cure as the goal and an understanding of the current reality, the doctor may determine that he needs a few more tools and an assistant. What does the archer need? A more slender arrow or maybe extra practice. What is it then that you require, to move from where you are to where you want to be?

This completes your plan. Remember though, this was the event — now comes the process. The event is based on vision and the process requires action. Action. Nothing less, nothing more.