DAN BOUDREAU
Author

Aim Your Kayak
Sep 12, 2020

By Dan Boudreau

When paddling, keep your eyes focused where you want to go, not on what you wish to avoid. If you focus on the undesirable or dangerous water—that menacing whirlpool, a jagged rock outcropping, the log jam harboring the lethal undertow—you will end up swamped in whatever you’re trying to avoid. The more you focus on what you don’t want, the more it engulfs you and subjects you to its influence.

The kayak lesson can also be applied to personal and business situations. The key is to focus on where you want to be, not where you fear you might end up.

The kayak analogy is helpful when breaking the cycle of self-sabotage and adopting new behaviors. The starting point is to acknowledge that you’re facing the wrong direction, and then purposely and persistently aim your kayak—your thoughts and your focus—in the right direction.

An excerpt from Business Killers.

---

---