If you only focus on what’s in front, you will crash.

I have just returned from a few days in Sydney with my mentor  Dr Fred Grosse. A group of us meet regularly throughout the year with Dr Fred, with a small part of the seminar that involves focusing on our goals.

A winter session with your mentor is a great way to escape the midyear doldrums. What’s awesome about these group catch-ups is the way we all share the highlights of our lives since we last met three months earlier.

While you might assume people at a business seminar would frame their achievements in terms of financial or material milestones, I’ve noticed it’s the magic moments with friends and loved ones that are most important to us. Sharing our highlights is also a great way to learn about places and experiences that we might not hear about otherwise.

This has certainly been the case with me. Reflecting on the last few months, my personal highlight was a trip to Queenstown. Fun in the snow, you might think – but that’s not what stands out. Instead, I found myself looking back at something spontaneous – an afternoon go-karting at the Highland Park track.

Racing round a track isn’t really my thing as I tend to get motion sickness. But this time I found real joy in simply competing and pushing myself to the limit. I was thrilled to come second in the go-kart race. Ok, there were only two people racing, but it was a lot of fun!

Thinking about it, the buzz came from pushing myself beyond what I’d normally do. Racing one-on-one in friendly competition, you find yourself looking to push the boundaries. In those adrenaline-fuelled moments I realised you have to look ahead and anticipate the corners, accelerate at exactly the right time and choose the right line before you drive it.

In short, you have to look way ahead. If you just keep your view narrowly focused on the area in front of your go-kart, you’ll be caught unawares by a twist in the track. And you will crash into the wall.

It’s a pretty good analogy for life, isn’t it? Goals have to stretch us beyond our normal limits, and they require us to lift our eyes beyond what’s immediately in front. At first it’s a bit scary but then it’s exhilarating. And then you find yourself going faster and further than you ever thought possible.

That was the magic moment that helped me re-focus my energies during the depths of winter. As I said, it wasn’t about money or material success but good times spent in good company.

Now might be a good time to ask yourself: When was the last time you sat down with the special people in your life and asked them about their magic moments? The answers could be rewarding.

Would you like to find out more or work with Sue as a mentor to help achieve your goals?  Get in touch.