If you’ve spent much time cycling, it’s likely you’ve experienced the “aim to miss” phenomenon. You’re riding down a hill at a rapid speed, spot a small rock in the road ahead and think to yourself “don’t hit the rock!” (as you focus intently on the rock). Oddly, it’s not unusual to then hit the rock! The FAR more effective strategy is to pick a different spot on the road (away from the rock), focus on that spot, and you’ll be home free, gliding along the path your eyes established. The path of your bike will generally follow your eyes.
Aiming to miss is NOT an effective strategy on the bike or in life. However, as a certified wellness coach, you’re likely working with clients on a daily basis who are taking this approach in their pursuits. They come to you with goals such as…
- Stop eating junk food
- Lose weight
- Reduce the stress in their lives
- And dozens of other “avoidance” goals
As their wellness coach, what do you do? As long as they are “aiming to miss” it is unlikely they will be successful over the long term. Aiming to miss puts all the focus on the negative, the thing to be avoided. With the eyes squarely focused on that item, true success is unlikely.
In order to help your wellness coaching clients (or maybe this applies to you?) become successful, it’s critical to turn their eyes, their attention, their energy toward what the path they actually desire to achieve instead of what they’re wanting to avoid. Using the above examples, the new vision might become…
- Eat veggies, fruits and lean protein with every meal
- Exercise 30 minutes/day
- Turn the TV off 30 minutes early and trade the time for extra sleep
You get the idea. When we “aim to miss” – we’re actually still aiming – but for the wrong thing. In our businesses, our fitness pursuits, our lives or with our clients, we can help create a powerful vision toward what’s most important – the desired path that will create the desired change.
Aiming to miss will usually result in just that – missing what matters most…
