Perfect Target

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections."


I recently heard the story of a young man that once visited his great uncle on his farm. When he arrived he saw several targets painted on the sides of his uncle's barn, each and every one of them had several perfect bull's-eye holes in them. This impressed the young man and desired to inquire as to how the old man could be such a great shot. He asked of his uncle, "Uncle Bob, how in the world did you learn to be such a great shooter. I mean, every single time you have shot you hit the bull's-eye target perfectly! Wow can you teach me how to do this?"

The old man smiled at the excitement of his only nephew and replied, "Son, I have tried most of my life to be perfect at everything I do. I used to get terribly upset at the times I would miss the targets and fall short of the goals I set for myself. I used to view myself a failure. I did not realize that the success can often come from the decision to take risks, experience the journey on the road to your dreams. It is more impressive to know that I shot those bullets from 450 yards, and not up close. The fact that the bullets took so long to get there and still hit its spot is a testimony And just like life, it is how far you have come to get you where you are can make the difference in how you view life. And to remain happy with where I am, I have learned to accept where I am and who I am, because that is the perfection I need to be, flaws and all."

Perplexed, the young man asked, "But how did all that teach you how to be such a great shot?"
"Oh, that," replied the old man, "I just simply shot first and then painted the target afterward.