Straightening Out Your Ss

There are many ways to think about reaching your goals. One way has to do with bicycle riding. I started thinking about ways I could improve my own bicycle-racing capabilities. When you're setting goals—in life, in work, or in bicycle racing—the point is not just to ride toward the goal; it's con-stantly thinking of ways to make minute improvements in everything you do to make it easier to accomplish your goal.

What happens when you're riding your bike and you start to get tired or you lose your concentration? Your bike begins to waggle all over the road. Instead of going straight forward, which is your intention, you slow down and start to swerve your way down the street in an "S" motion. Not only do you reduce your speed, you're riding a longer distance. This means that if I take the "S" and straighten it out, I could be decreasing the distance I'm traveling by 50 percent. In order to stop taking those unnecessary curves, you have to sharpen your focus and regain your concentration.

The same thing happens many times in life. You're riding along straight towards your goals when you begin to get tired or distracted. Obstacles take you off course. Before you know it, those things cause you to start to S your way through life. That's when you have to straighten out your S and keep focused on the path ahead.

Just take the ball and throw it where you want to... Home plate don't move.

—Satchel Paige,
baseball pitcher