“Keep your eye on the ball!”
I’m sure you heard this as you were growing up, especially if you played sports–whether on teams or only in gym class. Coaches told us that keeping our eye on the ball, knowing where it was and anticipating where it would be on the field or court, was an essential ingredient in performing well and winning the game.
Dad would also tell me to keep my eye on the ball. He was using this as a metaphor, though, for doing well in school–and later on, doing well in life. He was telling me to not let distractions and petty annoyances get me off track.
Even though I’ve tried to follow this advice, I admit that I’m not the best at it–in fact, at times I’ve been down right bad at it. I’ve let frustrations at the office slow me down. I’ve hesitated to implement ideas because of worries about the economy. I’ve been intimidated by others’ expertise and success.
In short, I’d taken my eye off the ball of striving toward my goals and living the life of my dreams.
I saw a TED-x talk on YouTube given by Emily Balcetis about this very topic. She and her colleagues have actually proven that Dad and my coaches were right: keeping your eye on the goal–the metaphoric ball–actually DOES makes tasks, projects, and the journey seem easier to achieve.
This is great news because it means that it IS simple to achieve our goals and dreams after all. We don’t need complicated formulas or convoluted practices. All we need to do is keep our eye on the ball–on the goals and dreams of our heart and soul.
Go for it–you can do it!
Your Friend and Pep Pal,
Lauren
Yes I Can Pep Talks 
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