Quotes of the Day – Aim High
“Aim High. Plan Well. Work Hard.” A few years ago, I attended an event held in a local elementary school and heard this simple set of goals that the principal of that elementary school has set for all his students to strive for. It made a huge impression on me because it elegantly captures the essence of what’s required to be successful in a person’s pursuit.
Mr. Bud Hadfield, an entrepreneur and the author of Wealth Within Reach book, shared his thoughts:
- “You usually hit where you aim – aim high!”
- “We must have the courage to bet on our dreams, to take the calculated risk and leave behind forever the internal forces that hold us down.”
- “Like an eagle, once we have learned to soar it almost seems effortless.“
When we climb a mountain, it is usually easier to go down than up, but the view is definitely better from the top. Michaelangelo once said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that is too low and we reach it.” At some point, we all have to decide how we are going to fail; by not going far enough, or by going too far. If you don’t go far enough, you’ll probably never know how far you can go.
“The greatest waste of our natural resources is the number of peole who never achieve their potential.
Get out of that slow lane.
Shift into that fast lane.
If you think you can’t, you won’t.
If you think you can, there ‘s a good chance you will.
Even making the effort will make you feel like a new person.
Reputations are made by searching for things that can’t be done and doing them.”
– Peter Legge, If Only I’d Said That, Volume III.
Reaching high keeps us on our toes and forces us to have to try harder.
However, having a good aim is not enough, we also need to know when to pull the trigger when the time is right! An ancient Chinese folklore illustrates this fact:
A man noticed a wild goose flying across the sky. He was about to shoot it with an arrow, and said: “Once I shoot it down I shall have it stewed.” His brother intervened and said: “A goose flying straight ahead is good for stewing, while one which flies in circles is good for roasting.” This squablle continued until they met an old man who advised cutting the goose in half, one half for stewing and the other for roasting. They accepted this suggestion, but when they returned to the origginal spot the goose was gone.
Leo Burnett, the famous U.S. advertising entreprenuer was quoted in Readers Digest, “When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”
“Only as high as I reach can I grow.
Only as far as I seek can I go.
Only as deep as I look can I see.
Only as much as I dream can I be.” - Karen Raven
Aim low: boring. Aim high: soaring. It is your choice, pick one!
