Look Where You Want to Go, Not Where You Don't

A few years ago while vacationing at the beach, something possessed me to take a surfing lesson. Not exactly athletic, I struggled to even get on the board. After multiple attempts, I finally learned to stand and even caught a couple of waves. But the rides never lasted for more than a few seconds, and each ended the same way: I always crashed into another surfer. 

"Why does this keep happening?" I asked my instructor with exasperation. His reply has resonated with me ever since: "Dude, stop looking at those other surfers. Look where you WANT to go and not where you DON'T." He explained that surfers will inevitably go in the direction they are looking, even if they are trying to do otherwise.

Some months later, I was observing an after school bicycle program for young kids and witnessed something extraordinary. The instructor was teaching kids to ride their bikes on a long two-by-four beam--that's right, two-by-four. If they couldn’t keep their bike wheels within a four-inch range, they fell two inches to the ground.

The kids who had the most trouble looked worriedly at the ground in an attempt to keep from falling. They fell off every time. "Keep your heads up and look where you want to go!" admonished the instructor. Sure enough, most every child who heeded his advice rode the length of the beam without faltering.

I can’t help but wondering if this wisdom applies beyond surfing and cycling. By focusing on our fears, are we manifesting what we are trying to avoid? Maybe if we keep our heads up with eyes focused on the finish, we won’t let surf or earth get in the way of what we really want to achieve.