Scoutmaster Minute - Fuzzy or Focused?

Here’s a Scoutmaster minute idea for your notebook: If you visit the archery range at camp this summer (and you should!) you’ll get the opportunity to shoot an arrow at a target. If you shoot six arrows at the target how many do you think will hit the bull’s-eye?

Before you answer; an archer shooting in Olympic-level competition gets about 70-80% of their arrows in the bull’s-eye. How many of you will aim your arrow at the upper right hand corner of the target? How many of you will aim at the third circle in the target? How many of you will aim at the bull’s-eye? Of course you are going to aim at the bull’s-eye on the target! And you will keep aiming at the bull’s-eye whether your arrows hit it or not, right? By a show of hands how many of you are aimed at becoming an Eagle Scout?

I saw a lot of the younger Scouts hands go straight up, you older Scouts were a little slower. My guess is that you older Scouts are a little doubtful if you can make it, because you haven’t hit the bull’s-eye with every arrow.

Maybe you are discouraged because you aimed at some goals and missed. A s you get older experience may lead you to think since you can’t really hit the bull’s-eye very often anyway, it’s not worth aiming.

Aiming is important in archery, and focus is important in life. We can all too easily talk ourselves out of having aspirations or goals because we doubt that we’ll be able to achieve them. Don’t give up, don’t lower your sights, keep aiming at the bull’s-eye!