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Kickin’ It In a World That’s Kickin’ Your...

Focus Enjoy the ride
The sun is a powerful force in our world and it does what Life’s like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs as well
it’s supposed to do—warm and light the earth. However, as its highs and lows. Sometimes it goes fast and sometimes
when the rays are focused through a magnifying glass, the it goes slow. Parts are scary. Occasionally you can’t see
power is increased exponentially. Your abilities are similar. what’s coming and sometimes you can. Yet in spite of all of
It’s when we truly focus on something that we have power that, it’s still a lot of FUN! We enjoy the ride, not because
to get something done. We operate in life with a kind of of where it takes us, but because of the ride itself. It’s the
dual focus of seeing the BIG picture and at the same time journey not the destination. It’s the process not the end
focusing on all the LITTLE details. It’s a combination of result. You don’t ride a roller coaster to get to the end of a
these two perspectives that help us accomplish our goals. roller coaster. You don’t go on a vacation to get to the end
of a vacation. You don’t see a movie to get to the end of the
See the BIG picture and the LITTLE details movie. You don’t listen to music to get to the end of the

Consider this. If a brick layer gets too caught up in the song. You don’t go on a date to get to the end of a... (well,
little details of each brick, spacing, mortar, color, etc., okay, so maybe that one is an exception for some.)
without looking at the BIG picture – imagine what the The more we focus on the process of doing what we do,
wall would look! It might be crooked, curved and wavy. the more we enjoy the ride. There will always be stuff on
Up close it might look great, but from far away it would our “To Do List” but it’s the process of doing that makes life
not look as good. The opposite is also true. What would fun. If we wait to enjoy life when everything’s done, then
happen if a brick layer only looked at the big picture as he we’ll miss out on a lot of fun along the way.
built that same wall. He might line up all the bricks and Start early, stay busy, keep focused, be committed, think
throw in some mortar, but because he was never concerned big picture with little details, plan your work and work
with the LITTLE details, there might be gaps in the bricks, your plan, and most importantly enjoy the ride. The more
color matching might be off, and spacing would be poor. you put into it, the more you get out of it. You’ll be amazed
Sure the wall would be straight, but the quality would lack at how much fun you will have when you get more done in
in terms of the details. less time KICKin’ IT IN!

Plan your work & work your plan Fran Kick has been inspiring people to Kick It In® and Take The Lead
since 1986. With a B.A. in Education, a M.A. in Educational Psychology,
When most people go to the grocery store, they make a and three children of his own, Fran knows What Makes Kids KICK! ©
list of the items they need before they go. When they get to 2006 Fran Kick.
the store, they can focus on getting what they need and get Used with permission. www.kickitin.com
out. Sure, they might pick up something else that’s on sale
or that they didn’t put on their list, but for the most part,
they’re not as distracted because they’re busy focusing on
what they need. It’s an efficient way of shopping because
it’s a combination of goal setting, planning ahead, and
prioritizing.

Bandmasters Review • June 2019 20 Texas Bandmasters Association