The Tribune

We’ve all heard the saying about shooting for the stars, and even if you missed, you would at least land on the moon. I think it’s a good idea to shoot for the stars in terms of the kind of life you want to live. But before you can even shoot for anything you must know what it is you are aiming for. You can only achieve that which you are aiming for. Meaning that you must set a specific aim before you can achieve any specific result.

In a popular graduation song, “Do You Know Where You’re Going To”, Diana Ross gives us reason to reassess the direction of our lives. Then, you have the thought-provoking quote from James Allen in which he said that “aimlessness is a vice”.

Knowing where you are going and setting an aim are both essential if you do not want to just drift through life. No doubt, having no declared direction or objectives renders you vulnerable to some depressing encounters. Let me reiterate ,you can only achieve that which you are aiming for.

You are responsible for where you want your life to go. You must be willing to invest the time and effort to materialise the life you want to live.

While this all may sound peachy, the reality is that many fall short of living an empowered life because they have no set aim and are not focused enough to make it happen.

The bigger truth here that must be clearly understood is that whether you have a specific aim or not, you are still aiming at something. The latter is a more random approach to living.

Let’s also recognise there are some universal laws of life that cannot be denied. They don’t play favourites and they affect everyone, whether people believe in them or not.

One such law is the law of attraction,which states that you get what you focus on or give your consistent attention towards, whether you want it or not. This means by not having any specific aim you unknowingly aim towards ‘whatever’.

If you aim for “whatever”, you will live a “whatever” kind of life. This is like saying, which states: “If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.”

Those who live an empowered life understand they must stand for something and they place high value on the currency of their attention. Spending the bulk of it building the life they want to live.

Until you become the financial controller of the currency of your attention, you will continue to invest your time and effort aimlessly. This is the chief reason why so many are unable to take their levels to an improved state. They spend their precious attention doing things that add no real value to their personal growth. Just look at the endless hours spent glued to the radio and television or those many lost hours steeped in social media. Despite their persistent complaints about their situations, time after time, they squander the currency of their attention without any real improvement in their situations.

An improved outcome is achieved when you set an aim towards the development of your inner self. Nobody becomes great without focus, without paying the price of time and effort. Fail to pay such a price and you will fail to enjoy the prize of an empowered life. Bottom line is you can live empowered or disempowered.

While the choice is yours, those who live disempowered are often without a strong belief in their own ability. Their sense of fear keeps them prisoners to the status quo; too afraid to colour outside the lines or risk doing something that has never been done.

The great Italian painter, sculptor and architect Michelangelo once said: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

Leader to leader, as Michelangelo advises, don’t just aim, but aim high. Recognise that you are the archer of your life. You hold the bow and you are responsible for shooting your arrows where you desire them to go. Find the audacity to aim towards a life you can be proud of.

Knowing what you are aiming for is a major step towards living an empowered life. Yes, you can do it.

What do you think? Please send your comments to coaching242@yahoo.com or 429-6770.

• Michelle M Miller is a certified life coach, communication and leadership expert. Visit www.michellemmiller.com; mail can be sent to PO Box CB-13060.