“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Time and again I’ve noticed that when I play it safe, very little changes. I make no progress towards my goals, and if that goes on too long I even start to feel stuck. The river of your life is a constantly moving entity, pulling and tugging at you, trying to get you to your destination. Your destination is whatever goal you’ve currently filed with the Universe. If you don’t like your destination, submit a “change of destination” form. But don’t sit in your boat in the river and resist the current. It wastes time and energy.
Often we know what our next move is but we’re simply too afraid to take it. Sometimes courage is required. Sometimes you have to be daring. Sometimes you just have to say, “What the hell… I’m doing it!” and deal with the consequences. You don’t have to run off half-cocked though. You can take a moment to aim. But don’t take too long. It’s better to take a shot at something and fail then never to try at all. In my own life, I’ve definitely seen that when I take risks they always pay off. Not necessarily the way I thought they would, but if I fail I get a learning experience. Don’t be afraid to fail, otherwise you’re saying you’re afraid to learn.
Imagine if you went to the shooting range for the first time. You hold the gun tentatively in your hand, lift it to eye level, use the site to take aim at your target and fire a shot. What’s the likelihood you’ll hit a bullseye on your first shot? Probably pretty small. What if you keep shooting? Will you get better? Of course. What if you get instruction from someone who already knows how to shoot? You’ll do even better when you take your own shot. What if you learn all you can about shooting and you practice and practice? Eventually you will hit that bullseye. Eventually you will accomplish your goal and get where you want to go.
Last week I decided to do something I’ve always been a little afraid to do. I wanted to face the fear head-on and see what happened. What I did last week actually illustrates the point I made above in a pretty literal way. I went to the gun range with a friend who taught me how to shoot a hand gun. I know, I know… what is Erin the spiritual teacher doing with a gun? That’s pretty far from “Spiritual Wisdom for Conscious People” right? I’ve always been interested in self-defense, disaster preparation, and protecting myself and my loved ones. Two decades ago I had a boyfriend who taught me how to shoot a rifle, use nunchucks and throwing stars, and how to shoot a bow. I’ve always been fascinated, but responsible.
I challenge you to take aim at a goal you’ve been putting off and take your best shot. Nothing is gained by procrastination. Go out and fail a little, try a little, improve a little. Keep shooting. Keep learning. Don’t stop until you reach your goal!
