Eyes Forward

I am VERY excited for 2024. After a week of presents, too much food, and a few long overdue naps, I am gassed up and ready for this year. Let’s go!!!

This past week, I had a chance to listen to a lot of thoughts on the year that just finished as well as ideas to win the year ahead. One of the most compelling concepts I heard was not a new idea, but an old concept that I rediscovered at the perfect time.

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I have immense respect for the sport of auto racing.

While I wouldn’t call myself a racing fan, I am awed by the amount of skill and precision required to navigate a vehicle around a track at over 200 miles per hour. It is truly mind boggling. The margin for error is razor thin, and being off by a fraction not only can be the difference between winning and losing, but the difference between life or death.

If a person is interested in getting a taste of the elite racing experience, there are opportunities to enroll in high-ticket racing schools. Premiere instructors provide participants with the fundamentals of the art of racing as well as a healthy dose of adrenaline.

So what are the pillars of elite racecar driving? There are several. Managing corners, establishing a clear driving line, hazard perception, and mastering braking distances are all key elements. However, I found one fundamental to be the most compelling: the ability to get out of a spin.

The dreaded spin can be a game-changer for a racecar driver. A bad spin in a packed section of the track is sure to draw contact. This contact – in a best-case scenario - will likely result in damage that will guarantee a pit stop and a loss of time. ?Of course, the consequences of a spin could be far worse – producing a crash against the wall which can end the race, and in some situations, cause serious injury or death. On the other hand, an elite driver – who also has some luck on their side – may recover from a spin within seconds, averting disaster and avoiding losing any meaningful ground in the race.

When I typically look ahead to a new year, I traditionally focus on the positives ahead. The goals. The accomplishments. The milestones. The experiences. This year, I fully plan to spend my time and energy on achieving the goals, accomplishments, milestones, and memorable experiences. Now I have another focal point for 2024. How fast can I get out of the spins that surely lie ahead?

In my younger, perhaps more na?ve days, I refused to allow any mental space for the potential of spins. After a few more laps around the track of life, while I never want to expect or create spins, I know a few are inevitable. As a result, one new metric by which I will measure 2024’s success will be how effectively I can I get out of life’s spins as quickly and as unscathed as possible?

Mario Andretti, arguably the greatest racecar driver of all time, provides a brilliant strategy to becoming a top racer. When asked how to become a racing champion, his answer was simple…

“Don’t look at the wall!”

When driving a racecar, the car tends to go where your eyes go. As a result, focusing straight ahead – whether that be on the straightaway, the finish line, or the next turn – is always preferable to looking at the wall. Naturally, in a spin, the wall is exactly where instinct will draw the eyes; in doing so, a driver produces a greater likelihood of a crash. The eyes are magnetically drawn to focus on the catastrophe that awaits. However, the trained driver exercises the discipline to keep their eyes on the place where they want the car to go – as opposed to the place where they don’t. ?

I am so optimistic for what 2024 holds. 2023 had its share of spins for me, and in hindsight, I was guilty of looking at the wall a bit longer and more often than I care to admit. As we all race into this new year, with this reminder now sitting in the forefront of mind’s eye, I am recommitting to looking straight ahead on the track. When the spins come, this time, I am ready to apply my focus to the road ahead as opposed to that dreaded wall.

I wish each and every one of you the best of luck in winning your race in 2024!

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