Don’t stare at the rocks
I haven’t posted in a while. Oh well.
I made a connection that seemed profound as I was falling asleep last night and thinking about how fortunate I am.
Don’t stare at the rocks.
This was the first useful piece of advice I received when I was learning to mountain bike. It works like magic. If you see a rock in the trail ahead that strikes the fear of a crash into your heart, your instinctive reaction is to stare at it in horror. If you stare at the rock, your bike will run into it.
Every time.
If, instead, you ignore the rock and stare at the clear patch of earth you want your bike to pass over, your bike will go that way. Every time.
Through work I’ve run into a number of people who are in the self-help/motivational/coaching business. I instinctively dislike the rhetoric involved and the amount of money people make selling the same recycled advice over and over, but I agree that helping someone gain the confidence and motivation to work toward their goals is one of the greatest gifts you can give. So, if it works, great.
For me, the best advice has been from mountain biking:
Don’t stare at the rocks.