| As a young man I really did not care about | | | | that patience is the name of the game. Not just |
| anything with the exception to hunting. Although | | | | patience, but patience in cold, wet, and windy |
| many people, I'm sure thought it was a waste of | | | | weather. It's the same in life, family and business. |
| time, I think that I learned many valuable life | | | | Just like when we are waiting on that big buck |
| lessons that many young adults now could really | | | | and we tell ourselves that we have put in the |
| use such as persistence, hard work, practice | | | | hard work, we have practiced, we are persistent... |
| makes perfect, patience, that there is knowledge | | | | just be patient he is coming. If we will put these |
| in reading, thankfulness and future oriented | | | | same principals to work in all areas of our lives, all |
| thinking. | | | | we have to do is be patient. It's coming, the |
| Persistence - Many people are not persistent at all | | | | question is can we wait it out? |
| at work or play. If something goes wrong or they | | | | Knowledge in Reading - As a child, I would read |
| fail at something they are done even trying. | | | | every hunting magazine that I could get my |
| Hunting taught me as a young boy that the one | | | | hands on. I would then use the tactics, habits, and |
| that is the most persistent will win more than the | | | | knowledge that I learned from reading to help |
| one who is not. It took me countess hours, days, | | | | pursue the whitetail deer and turkey that I |
| and even a couple hunting seasons before I killed | | | | hunted. It helped me understand the sport and |
| my first whitetail deer. At the time it was illegal to | | | | the animals. I've since learned that anything that I |
| kill a doe in my home state, so I waited on a | | | | want to learn about life and business, I can learn |
| buck. Many times I wondered was it going to | | | | at the library, book store, or on the internet. |
| ever happen and then one morning a very nice 9 | | | | Thankfulness - There is something about being in |
| point ran up providing me with a 12 yard shot! It | | | | the woods alone for hours that always directs |
| was all worth the wait. I have been hooked ever | | | | my thoughts to how great our God is and how |
| since. Often now, in business and life I remind my | | | | thankful I am that he sent his one and only son, |
| self that persistence will pay off. | | | | Jesus Christ to save my undeserving soul. |
| Hard work - Anyone who has hunted a few | | | | Future Oriented Thinking - Leaders think more |
| years successfully knows how much hard work | | | | about the future than the past and present. The |
| goes in to it. Hanging tree stands, preparing, | | | | most successful think many years in the future. |
| scouting, getting out of bed 2 hours before light, | | | | Thinking about my early years hunting, I |
| and dragging deer are all very hard work. But, it | | | | developed this way of thinking and it has stayed |
| teaches that there is much value in hard work. | | | | with me ever since. To be consistently successful |
| Don't put the hours in and you don't bring home | | | | hunting, you have to think about the future and |
| the harvest consistently. The same in life. To be | | | | plan your strategies. When I would find a new |
| successful you must invest much hard work or | | | | hunting spot, I would think, what are the food |
| you will not harvest what you are capable. | | | | sources and when in the future will the spot be |
| Practice Makes Perfect - When I first started | | | | fruitful and what wind direction will I need in the |
| shooting a bow, I could not hit the broad side of a | | | | future to hunt this spot successfully? I would also |
| barn! But day after day I would come home from | | | | start in the summer planting food plots for the fall |
| school and shoot arrow after arrow, until finally I | | | | deer season, albeit this is not thinking years ahead |
| could hit consistently in the kill zone of a whitetail | | | | but it is thinking about something other than what |
| deer with in thirty five yards. Now when I think | | | | am I going to do today that will bring instant |
| that I can't learn something new, I still often | | | | gratification, which seems to be the popular |
| remember learning to shoot a bow and how I | | | | thought pattern of the times in which we live. |
| could not do much of anything very well when I | | | | I am forever grateful to have been introduced to |
| first started but that only practice makes perfect. | | | | hunting as a child. I know that it has helped |
| Patience - This is the big one! I mean come on | | | | develop my approach to everything in life. I |
| now, most people want it and they want it now. | | | | encourage all hunters to spend time with kids and |
| Well hunting will change that way of thinking quick. | | | | get them involved in the sport. There is no telling |
| If you have hunted big game, then you know | | | | what the life lessons they learn will mean to them. |