The Tribune

By MICHELLE MILLER

You, too, must agree that hitting a target is more likely if you are aiming to hit that target. In other words, you can better get what you want out of life by identifying what you want and setting an achievement plan in motion.

This is where it becomes challenging for many navigating this adventure called life. They don’t know what they want and end up settling for whatever they get. While settling may be OK for some, there are those who seek to live a more empowered life. Such a life demands that you take the archer’s position.

Every archer recognises the need to identify their target long before sending forth their arrow. It’s the same concept as to why no airplane leaves the runway without a flight plan of its destination. Having an aim, therefore, is the most potent ingredient in living an empowered life.

In which lane do you find yourself in answering today’s question? Knowing exactly what you are aiming for or settling for whatever you get?

Everything that you do or fail to do depends on what you are aiming for. Without an aim, life becomes like piece driftwood, drifting across the open seas of life. This means that you are going nowhere in particular. It was the philosophical writer James Allen who said, “Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and destruction.”

There is no question that life, if it is to be lived fully, must be directed with a meaningful sense of purpose. At the same time, if don’t choose where you want your life to go, you will end up somewhere. Ending up somewhere they didn’t plan for their life to be is where many undirected folks find themselves.

To live an empowered life requires that you have an aim. Nobody just ends up in an empowered life. Such empowerment is the result of asking the questions, doing the work and following through. This sense of empowerment is merely the dividend that pays off in the end.

How do you get there? You start by taking time to know yourself, developing your vision, devising a plan of action, and setting goals to make it a happen.

Nothing in your life will change for the better if you stay stuck just going with the flow; doing the same old same old. It is up to you to give your life direction by investing your attention. You must make your life about moving and improving.

Your life moves when you move. If you choose to give your attention to disempowering activities, that will be the kind of life you live. By investing your attention in more empowering activities you move towards a position of power.

Essentially, your life is the result of all the people, places and things in which you invest your time and attention. Hence, it is imperative to identify what you are aiming for so you can best to direct your attention`. Ultimately, you are the archer. You set the target, you take the aim and you release the arrows of your attention. You will live the result of whatever your arrows hit. Pay attention to what you are paying attention to.

Get into the habit of aiming for things that empowers your life. Empowerment is about having confidence in who you are and the purpose you embody. When you better know who you are, you move with a stronger sense of self. You can drift aimlessly or drive confidently. The choice is all ways yours.

One of the things I notice when driving on major interstates like I-95 in the US is this heightened sense of confidence. With so many lanes and hundreds of vehicles moving at warp speed, this is no place to drift aimlessly. In fact, such drifting could be fatal.

Leader to leader, you are the chief archer in your life. Take the time to clarify what you are aiming for and set plans in motion for your life. Setting a higher aim enables you to move with more confidence and thus live an empowered life. Yes, you definitely 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.talktomichellemiller.com or call 1-888-620-7894; mail can be sent to PO Box CB-13060.