A few years ago I heard a long talk by a speaker about how hard work pays. “Do you have anything to add to that Bob?” asked the convener. “Yes,” I said, “If your eyes are not on your goal, all the hard work you put in, is a waste!”
A story is told about a bloodhound chasing a stag. A fox crossed the path, so the hound chased the fox. After a while a rabbit crossed the path, so the hound chased it. Later, a mouse crossed the path and the hound chased the mouse into a hole. The hound began his hunt on the trail of a magnificent stag and ended up watching a mouse hole!
Sounds like many of us, doesn’t it? Not that there is anything wrong with being spontaneous. Some of the most wonderful things have come into my life by beautiful accident. But there is also something to be said for knowing where we want to go.
Florence Chadwick learned the importance of keeping a goal in mind on July 4, 1952. She waded into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island and began swimming toward the California coast twenty- six miles away. The day was cold and her attendants drove off sharks throughout the journey.
Florence had already swum the English Channel twice and, if she could finish today, she would be the first woman to have swum both. But after fifteen hours in the water, for the first and only time in her long-distance swimming career, she gave up and climbed into the escort boat. Others had urged her on, but in the fog, they could not tell her how near she was to the coast. She later learned that she was less than half a mile from shore.
When asked by a reporter why she gave up, Florence replied: “It was the fog. If I could have seen land, I could have finished. But when you can’t see your goal, you lose all sense of progress and you begin to give up.” On a warm, sunny day two months later Florence Chadwick swam the Catalina Channel, handily beating the men’s record. Only when she kept her eyes on the shore did she eventually arrive there. So today, whatever field you are in, whichever career you aim to pursue, keep your eyes steadfastly on your goal.
Keeping your eyes on your goal also helps you avoid using short cuts, and we sure have lots of them in our country: ‘Don’t work so hard you’ll get in through a quota!’ ‘Try and get yourself a reservation certificate and you’ll get the job!’ ‘Bribe the examiner!” “Cheat!”
Shortcuts don’t build muscle to win; they make you weaker. Remember, it’s not just hard work, but learn to keep your eyes on your goal, and you’ll be somebody even in these times of recession…!
