Aim small, miss small. I got this concept from the movie The Patriot when Mel Gibson’s character is teaching his sons how to shoot. One of the things I’ve been learning about success is you have to get really specific about what you’re shooting for. I am not a gun expert but I do know how to shoot well enough to understand this concept. It’s not enough to say that you want to shoot in some general direction. It’s not good enough to say you want to hit the target. You look down the sites and you pick the smallest spot that is perfectly lined up with the sites. A spot so small that even if you miss, you’re still hitting the target. I’m a golfer and it’s the same in golf. The pros don’t say they want to hit the green. They don’t just say they want to hit a certain part of the green. They’re thinking about the trajectory they want the ball to come in on and the amount of spin they want on the ball to set them up for the best possible birdie putt.

Aim small, miss small. So how does this apply to life? We don’t have enough time or space to cover all that in a single blog post but I think we can learn something from this concept. How do you define success when it comes to your relationship with God? Your marriage? Your parenting? Your job?

It’s not good enough to say you want to make money….or be happy….or be secure…or make a contribution. Not specific enough! If you really want to maximize the potential that is in you, start thinking about aim small, miss small. Get in the circles of friends you’re the most comfortable with and bat this idea around. What does success look like? Really? I heard a quote one time that said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” I believe that’s true.