Hit Your Target

The concept of pulling an arrow back in order to gain the momentum to launch forward isn’t anything new or groundbreaking, but we discovered a specific aspect of that metaphor that is useful in recognizing and appreciating the “pulling back” phase. Not only is the ebb phase a necessary aspect of the vibration of life, but the down side of the wave often gives you the motivation to move towards the upside.

For example, we had been meaning to talk to our landlords about renewing our lease for some time, but kept putting it off because there was a pandemic happening and there were so many unknowns. Then, one morning we woke up to an ant infestation in our living room. We were hesitant about requesting maintenance because of social distancing, but after trying and failing for multiple days to contain the ants ourselves, we gave in and asked our landlords to send someone to spray in our basement. Their response was amazing! They contacted pest control instantly and we already had an appointment with them within hours of submitting the maintenance request. Because we were so happy and satisfied with their response, we suddenly had the external motivation to finally renew our lease. In fact, wild horses couldn’t stop us. And it was the damn ants that give us the momentum to do so!

What is something that is happening to you right now that irritates you or makes you angry? Or perhaps is just a hurdle between you and what you want? Write it in the space created by the arrow being pulled back. What target could this tension be pointing you towards? What might this contrast make you finally take the leap into doing? Write it in the target. This exercise is as useful in hindsight as it is for foresight. Think of a time when something that made you frustrated ended up working in your favor—not only working for you, but propelling you toward something you wanted. If you can recognize the times it has happened for you in the past, you’ll be more likely to understand when it is happening for you again.