Rummaging randomly, I opened a journal and found a completely-out-of-context note from five years ago, when I was reading a book called Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book, a book about golf that somehow transcends the game while providing sound advice about playing the game, as I recall.
There, in all capital letters, I wrote this quote from the book:
“IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE IN THIS BOOK … TAKE DEAD AIM.”
What is “taking dead aim” as opposed to simply “taking aim”?
I imagine this is a concise way of saying what they say about “SMART” goals — Don’t just have some vague thing you want to accomplish; rather, write down a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based.
Taking dead aim is important because you want to have a clear sight of your target before you pull the trigger.
After you take dead aim, then go for it. Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
But first, take the most important advice in Mr. Penick’s book.