Aim Small Miss Small...

"So all I have to do is hit the target?"

"Well... Yes... but there is more to it than that."

"What else is then?"

"You have to hit an exact place on the target."

"Where?"

"Just aim at a small spot, even smaller than the tip of the arrow, and do everything you can to land it there."

"But why such a small spot? I can hit that bulls eye from way back there."

"Bulls eye is too big. Think smaller. Aim small, miss small."

I had the pleasure of shooting a custom made longbow last night. I shot one years ago, so I kinda remembered the proper way to do it without hurting myself. But, when I say years ago,I'm talking 15+.

Our target was a white 3'x3' foam box with a bulls eye in the center and was placed about 30' away. I thought it looked like fun so I volunteered to go first, since none of the other 8 had stepped up. I took the bow, inserted the arrow, pulled back the string and let it fly. Of course, I missed the whole darn thing with the first shot. But I redeemed myself in my second attempt and hit the foam box with a resounding thud.

The difference between each shot was that in the first attempt, I just pointed the arrow at the white foam box and let it fly. But in the second shot, I aimed at a small white speck on the center or the red circle inside the middle black line, on the bulls eye that is located on the foam box. My aim had become more precise and limited to a smaller spot, and the results were much better.

I've been reading alot about golf lately. Not the hokey stuff and techniques that are guaranteed to take strokes off your game, but the real fundamental stuff that most folks miss when they tee it up. The most helpful thing to my game is visualizing the shot before you take it. I like to stand behind my ball and picture in my mind the ball flying through the air, landing on an exact spot and coming to rest at a precise location. By doing this, it gives me a plan of attack that is much more focused than simply aiming at the flag and swinging. Do I hit them all like I picture them? Not hardly. In fact, in a recent interview, Tiger Woods said that he will only hit 3 or 4 exactly like he pictured. So, it's OK to miss a little as long as your focus is true, your alignment is correct, and you see the bigger picture of what you want to do.

My Pastor shared with us how we need to use this same type of visualization when we take aim on our marriages, families, and especially when it comes being the Priest of our homes. We need to hone in on the small things that will strengthen our relationships and draw us closer to God. By aiming at and improving the small details, the larger things and future problems we're going to face will more easily fall into place, because of the foundation we've built.

Looking back, I should have used my golf technique for visualization when I took my first pull on the longbow. Luckily, I remembered to do just that prior to my second shot. I didn't hit the small white speck that I had envisioned, but I only missed small.