“You must keep your mind on the objective, not on the obstacle.”

– William Randolph Hearst

“George, George, George of the Jungle…watch out for that tree!  OOF!”

Time after time, episode after episode, in spite of the musical warning, George would smack right into that tree!  That’s the way it is with obstacles — the more attention we give them, the more often they seem to get in our way.

Yesterday, I decided to paint a design on the skin of a frame drum I’ve had for a while.  I carefully drew the design in pencil, chose a fine brush, and sat down to fill the design with black paint.  As I worked, I thought of how the folks who create such Kanji symbols do it effortlessly with ink and a brush; yet here I was, outlining the edge with one bristle at a time.  I missed the boundary; and while the paint was still wet, I used my fingernail to scrape it away and allow me a second try.  With my brush all prepared — filled with paint and shaped to a delicate point, I set it down again and made the same mistake.  After several attempts that ended in the same way, I realized what was happening.  George of the Jungle was hitting that tree!  I had become so ensnared in my past mistake and so focused on the space outside of my line that I was putting the paint in the place that held my thoughts.  I had forgotten my objective of creating a nice, clean line.

As soon as I shifted my focus and pictured the completed brush stroke creating the line I had planned, I was able to achieve my goal.  This is a lesson I learn time after time, whether I am painting or working toward an objective.  Too often we become so attentive to solving a problem that it becomes the only thing we can see.  When we give all of our energy to the obstacle that stands in our way, we can become mired down in a place where we run ito it over and over again rather than moving beyond it.

If George of the Jungle had been less worried about the tree, he might have been able to focus on the empty space next to it.  As soon as I thought of my paintbrush filling the area I wanted to paint, as soon as I left the memory of my own mistake behind me, I was able to achieve my goal.  Objectives and obstacles go hand in hand.  What is important is to remember where our focus should be.

George, George, George of the Jungle…watch out for that way around the tree!  And keep on swinging!