The Wrong Target

In the 2004 Olympics, Matthew Emmons had a commanding lead over 2nd place and had one final shot to secure the victory. He was and is regarded as one of the greatest sharp shooters of all time and this time was no different. He squared up, dialed in and released hitting the target perfectly. There was only one problem. He hit the wrong target. This simple mistake cost him not only the gold but a medal altogether dropping him into 8th place.?

Maybe you don’t think that I suffered the same hardships as Matt Emmons but I would argue that we are all suffering from this fundamental issue of aiming for the wrong target. Maybe you’ve signed a few big deals. Maybe you’ve even created a great career out of hard work and ambition. But at what cost?

We glorify the big sales volume and high achievements. We shower the elite with trophies, gifts and recognition. We seek their advice and ask how one achieves such high success. But I wonder if those at the top would change anything about their journey. I wonder how many plays, games and art fairs had to be missed. I wonder how many spouses are aching for love and attention. I wonder how many reach the pinnacle and are left wanting.

I’m not going to assume I know what your target is. I know it’s different for everyone but I also know that most millionaires agree that once they’ve made the money they spend most of that money buying their time back.?

I don’t want to discount the amount of blood, sweat and tears that goes into the journey to success. Matthew Emmons last shot for gold has been described by some as “the impossible shot”. It was incredible. However he was aimed at the wrong target. Luckily for him, all he lost was a piece of metal and a few years until the next Olympics games. Some of us will lose much more than that… But there is still time to aim at the right target.?