Sitemap

Become a Member, It's Free!

Fishing Guide Reviews

Forums

Free Email Newsletter

Free JHO Decal

Gear Reviews

Hunting Guide Reviews

50 to 1 Philosophy - Stay Positive for Success

Brian Kirksey - JHO ProStaff - SF Bay Area, CA
August 23, 2006

Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
Keeping it all in perspective, we need to look at the negative events as learning opportunities, and remember to accentuate the positive in every outdoors experience.

As we hunt, compete, and hone our skills we will be exposed to many variables that will either contribute to our success or aid in our defeat. At any given time there is what I like to call “Fifty to One.” There may be 50 variables that affect everything we do, but it takes only one “silver bullet” variable to stop everything dead in its tracks.

These variables can be mental or physical.

Many of us create goals within bowhunting and in the target competition circuit. Some of them are attainable, and some goals are set way too high. It’s important to enjoy the scenery on the way to these long-projected goals and keep the progress and failures in perspective. Even when experiencing a miss on a big buck or the loss of a major tournament, the moment can be a valuable tool that we can learn from and grow stronger with in time.

I remember competing in the Nationals archery tournament in Redding, California several years ago. I had earned and held third place all weekend until the third target at the end of the competition. We were shooting two arrows for a maximum of 22 points per target. My first arrow at 103 yards was a tad low but still scored safely. My partner called out “pick it up, bit low but good right and left.”

I added a little to my stack as I prepared to let the second arrow fly. My arrow went off and was a little to the right. It ricocheted off the shoulder of the target, resulting in a no-score. I dropped to eighth place immediately.

For the next several months I felt crushed. The sting from the tournament almost created an anxiety that kept me from taking part in other competitions. I wanted to avoid another failure. It was all I could do to continue competing.

Losing the “buck of a lifetime” can have the same effect. Sometimes the residual pain is so great it leads to fear of disappointment or failure and manifests into anxiety where we can talk ourselves out of opportunities and hunts before they even present themselves.

The trick is to try to stay positive and emphasize affirmative thoughts. Keep your head in focus and keep your eyes on the opportunity.

For example, looking back at that fateful tournament, I realized how much I learned from the opportunity to shoot with the nation’s top archers. By not giving up, and learning from my mistakes, I gained valuable experience about things such as shooting under pressure, shooting in the wind, shooting with a partner, shooting for money, etc.

So much of what we do in the outdoors is mental. Talk to yourself optimistically in all situations, recognize negative triggers and turn them to the positive. Don’t let fear of failure rob you of the fun in the outdoors. Prepare yourself for the one variable so it doesn’t affect your positive experiences. It is so easy to focus on the one negative occurrence, that single variable, that we overlook the 50 positive accomplishments we experienced along the way.