Sometimes You Miss Your Target

In life, most of us set goals for ourselves, create a plan of action, and then set ourselves on a path of execution. We do this in our career, in our home life, in our playtime, and more. Our success in achieving our goals can be attributed to a variety of factors. Some are out of our control and some are totally within our control. Most experts on the subject of success will say that the secret of success lies within yourself. Your focus, your passion, and your drive.

Sometimes, as I just learned on my most recent motorcycle ride, paying attention to all the details in real-time can be critical.

So I had come up with the most awesome idea from my next motorcycle ride. Now that I’ve been riding my motorcycle for 4.5 years and living in Knoxville, I’ve done most every local ride route, including the Devils Triangle, the Foothills Parkway, 441 to Mt. LeConte, and more. BTW, I have NOT ridden the Tail of the Dragon. I’ll do that when I can on a weekday to avoid the crowds. So in browsing Google Maps, I found a exciting spot to ride to – the boundary point between Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.

This would be a 100 mile ride from my home in Knoxville. I envision myself in three states all at the same time, sipping my power drink. 

With all the planning of the route and preparations for the ride, I set out. It was a great day, as you can see from a 360 I shot while filling up with gas and getting a drink.

According to my map, I could get to a second location, which I rode to. Unfortunately, before I could get to the desired endpoint, I was on a road with a clear posting of Private Road.

That was the end of the line.  I stopped and turned around, disappointed I failed to reach my end-point goal.

In thinking about how I failed to reach my goal, several thoughts occurred to me. Should I have been able to know ahead of time my goal was unachievable? Was my goal achievable, but I failed to identify potential alternative options? Did I fully utilize my available tools to provide full and accurate situational analysis regarding my current location and potential paths to my goal?

At this point, it is too late to double check myself. I do think the next time, I will pay more attention to my tools and explore in real-time potential alternative options. Maybe sometime in the future, I’ll give myself a mulligan!

One of the most valuable attributes I work to exhibit in my life is continuous learning. No matter what you do, work to do it better. If you miss your target, don’t take it as a negative event. Use it as an opportunity to learn, understand what is under your control to change, and plan better to get around those things you cannot control.