A Step in the Right Direction

Yogi Berra is one of the most popular and beloved baseball players of all time. In addition to winning ten World Series rings and being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Yogi Berra is well known for his poignant, yet often confusing sayings.

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over”, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”, and
“Little things are big,” are some of his heartwarming quotes.

Perhaps one of his most treasured quotes, however, when it comes to goal setting is the following:

“You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there.”

Think about this for a moment. As confusing as it may sound, it actually makes a lot of sense. What are your goals? What are your dreams? What are you doing to reach them and are you headed in the right direction?

Try this exercise the next time you are in an area outside where there is lots of room–like a field: Focus on a faraway point–at least a hundred yards away. Now, looking down at your feet, and watching every step you take, head toward that spot. Do not look up–just watch your feet.

When you think you’ve reached the spot, look up. Did you make it? Did you take a detour? Did you go straight there or wind your way? Maybe you ended up in a totally different spot, even though you thought you were heading in the right direction.

Now, go back to your starting point. Focus on that same faraway spot and walk towards it, this time keeping your eyes on the end point the whole time. Be aware of what your feet are doing, but don’t look down.

When you’ve reached your destination, take a moment to think about the difference in the two journeys. What changed when you kept your eyes on the end point the whole time, as opposed to watching your feet? Was it easier to get there? Faster? Did it make more sense? Did you feel more confident walking there?

Now take a moment to think about your goals and dreams. When you kept your eyes on that faraway spot across the field during the whole walk, that was like working toward your goals. You had the end in mind, and knew your steps were leading you in the right direction. There was no need to go too far to the left or right, or swerve around in a circle, because you knew where you wanted to be, and how to get there.

Dreams are important and wonderful to have, but without goals, they continue to be just dreams. It’s easy to dream about winning a million dollars or becoming a black belt, but just like the two journeys across the field, the difference between a dream and a goal is the way you take all the steps in between.

So turn your dreams into goals. All it takes is that first step in the right direction, and you can accomplish anything.

Published in the International Black Belt Academy Newsletter, 9/07