Small targets are big.

There’s a story behind that.

This is your daily message from Chad number 1141 to upgrade your mental game today by telling yourself a better story, because the most important story you hear is the story you tell yourself. And this message is dedicated to Bob Rotella. You can get a free copy of my book, The Most Powerful Story in the World, by going to fromchad.gumroad.com. The transcript of this message and hundreds of others are always available at http://www.fromchad.com.

Here’s the upgrade:

You think aiming big gives you a bigger chance, but upgraded thinking knows the smaller the target, the sharper the mind.

Here’s the story:

Bob Rotella was working with a pro golfer who was struggling. So Rotella, author of How Champions Think, Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, and Make Your Next Shot Your Best Shot, asked him a simple question. “Where are you aiming out there?” And the golfer said something vague. “I’m trying to hit it good. I’m aiming at the fairway.”

Rotella stopped him right there. “That’s your problem. The fairway is too big. You need a target so small that when you look at it, your focus sharpens and your mind locks in.” So on the next shot Rotella didn’t let him aim at the fairway. Not even a section of it. He had him pick a single blade of grass. Thirty yards out. One blade.

Eyes locked. Mind locked. And suddenly the shot quality transformed. The smaller the target, the sharper the focus. Basketball players don’t aim at the rim. They lock onto the little loop of net behind it. Quarterbacks don’t aim at the jersey. They aim at the receiver’s hands. Golfers pick one blade of grass.

Most of us walk around aiming at fairways. “I want to get in shape.” “I want to be a better dad.” “I want to grow the business.” Those aren’t targets. They’re too big to focus on. But “I’m doing ten push-ups before I get in the shower.” That’s a blade of grass. “I’m putting my phone in the drawer at dinner.” That’s a blade of grass.

The better story to tell yourself is, “Shrink the target.” Zig Ziglar used to say that most people walk around as a wandering generalities instead of a meaningful specific. A lack of focus allows for too much wandering. The blade of grass locks you in. So here’s the question to ask yourself today. Where are you aiming at the fairway? Where have you left the target so big that your mind has nothing to grab onto? Shrink it. Find the blade of grass. Then lock in.

Tell me a story of shrinking your target to fromchadsmith@gmail.com. Send someone a text and ask them, “What’s the one blade of grass you can aim at today?”