Due to the seemingly colder winter this year we have burned through considerably more firewood than anticipated. I regularly have to fire up the chainsaw to cut up the trees I dropped earlier in the year.
The other day (in our household this expression can mean anything from this morning to several years ago) I was chopping wood and throwing it onto the pile for later consumption. My throws were often landing short because I didn't want to throw too far and hit the house. Often I would have to stop chopping and throw the wood a second time to reach the pile.
I considered my fear of going too far and thought how it affects my chipping and putting (I'm a keen golfer). I often end up short of the hole because I have a fear of going too far. This fear is somewhat irrational as I cannot get the ball in the hole or the wood on the pile unless I hit or throw far enough.
I then tried to equate this logic to business and personal matters. Surely success depends on throwing the firewood far enough to reach the intended target. Hitting the target first time often enough will make me more successful than the person who has to constantly throw the wood a second time.
How far are you prepared to throw the wood or hit the ball to achieve your goal? Are you prepared to risk having to throw a third time to ensure the possibility that the first throw reaches its target? How much time do you spend analyzing how hard you need to throw the first time to reach the target?
We could easily divide throwers into two categories:
- Those that spend a lot of time analyzing, calculating and estimating in order to get the first throw right
- Those that throw quickly and are prepared to move quickly in order to throw again if necessary.
Of course there is always a third category – those that don't care – but they are not likely to succeed as they will probably not throw in the first place.
The trick to success is being able to get the wood on the pile, the ball in the hole, the deal in the bag or whatever the appropriate metaphor is for you then be ready to act on the result. Then repeat as necessary.
