3 Types of People!
There are 3 types of people when it comes to goals and promises. I call them Drifters, Snipers and Trackers. Let’s discuss each of them.
Drifters:
Drifters, a term I borrowed from Napoleon Hill, are your unsuccessful individuals. They drift wherever life takes them. They have no purpose. They have no goals, no objectives. These people might set goals, because that’s what they’re supposed to do, but they never reach those goals. They let the world and others dictate what happens to them. Many, if not most of them, depend on someone else for their basic necessities. Drifters usually live paycheck to paycheck and have no desire to get out of their current situation or improve themselves. They are content with their circumstances. They might even hate their circumstances and want to get out, but not enough to actually change them.
Unfortunately, Drifters make up the majority of the population. They conform to social norms because that’s what everyone else is doing. They follow fads because that’s what everyone else is doing. Once that fad is over, they jump to the next fad for no other reason than everyone else is. They go to college because that’s what you’re supposed to do, not because they want an education. They get a job because that’s what you’re supposed (and it’s usually a job that they don’t like). The live under the radar at their job, doing just enough to not get fired. Then they head home after work to do, well, anything, as long as they don’t have to think about it or put forth any effort.
If this sounds like you, since you’re reading this post, you’re wanting to change that and become one of the other two types.
The other two types are successful individuals.
These are individuals that are progressively realizing a definite chief aim without violating the rights of others, as Napoleon Hill talks about. Those that have a passion and those that love trying new things. These are the people that I like to call Snipers and Trackers.
Snipers
Let’s start with the Sniper. These are your target hitters. They are goal-oriented people. They love hitting a goal, whatever it is. They’re addicted to it. They are completely content hitting goal after goal in any endeavor, subject or field. Once they accomplish a goal, they jump right onto the next one and the next one and the next one.
Don’t confuse Snipers with Drifters. Drifters jump from one endeavor to the next without finishing them. They seldomly finish anything. Snipers find a target, they have a goal, and they will pursue that goal, a single goal, for as long as it takes until they get it. They hit their target. They achieve their goals. Only then do they move onto the next goal. A lot of the time, Snipers are driven to do better than they did before. They’re driven by self-improvement and growth. They compete against themselves. These are competitive individuals. If presented with a challenge, they will do it, no ifs, ands or buts. They will do even if it kills them. Again, it doesn’t matter the subject or the field or what the goal is, except for one thing; they are the ones that set the goal. It is rare that they work on goals set by someone else, and they will accomplish those, however, the goal must be something that they want to do.
In the military, snipers go through rigorous training. They learn the tools of their trade inside and out. They know that the basic are key to hitting their target. They know every inch of their rifle. They study math and physics related to their bullet trajectory. They study windage, range estimation, how to lead a target, how to read DOPE (Data On Previous Engagement), the effects of weather on the trajectory of their ammunition and how that effects their bullet drop. They study harmonics in relation to their rifles. They learn how their weapon fires cold bore or hot. They study breathing techniques and other stress relieving skills. Not to mention the thousands of rounds they send down range. All of this is in preparation for the mission. It’s to prepare to hit their target, no matter how different this target is from their last target.
In Goal setting and keeping promises, Success Snipers do the same. They understand and have a clear knowledge of the basics. These don’t change goal to goal. Each goal has its own set of obstacles to overcome, just like a military sniper on a mission, but the basics create a foundation get past those.
What are these basics? There will be other videos and articles about these.
Let’s talk about Trackers.
Trackers
The Tracker on the other hand is driven by a passion for one specific field. It can be any field, but one field, sometimes there’s two or three, but usually not more than that and it’s usually just the one. They are most happy when they are working in that particular field. Put these individuals into another field and they don’t do very well. They struggle.
I call these individuals Trackers, because just like when tracking an animal, the tracker becomes engrossed by the trail and will follow that trail for as long as possible, really knowing full well that they might never reach the end of it. The trail continues forever. The Tracker is okay with that. They are learning and growing within their passion and they’re becoming better at it. Finding the next track becomes everything to them. Each track along the trail teaches them something new.
Just like Snipers, Trackers must learn the basics of tracking. These basics don’t change. Knowing the basics, the Tracker can see the slight differences in the tracks he or she is following to be able to tell different those tracks and other tracks. Trackers study print shapes and sizes, they study different gaits, including the length of a gait, the straddle, the stride and the pitch of a track. They study pressures releases and how they show up in different terrains. They study different soils and how they react to walking, jogging or running. They also study how to measure trails and tracks.
This creates the foundation so when they get on the trail, they can follow it. As said before, finding the next track becomes everything.
Success Trackers do the same. They use the same skills as Success Snipers. They know the basics inside and out and use those skills and knowledge to accomplish their goals within the one field of focus.
I personally fit into this category. I’m a filmmaker. That’s been my passion for as long as I can remember. I do have a few passions; filmmaking, storytelling, magic, wilderness survival and yes, Tracking and others, but filmmaking is my greatest passion. It’s what I love.
Trackers Are Snipers, Snipers Aren’t Trackers
As you observe people from these two groups, you’ll notice that Trackers are also be Snipers. But Snipers rarely are Trackers. Not that they can’t, they just find too many different things of interest and can’t focus on a single field forever. They might have multiple goals or targets that they pursue within a single field, but they will eventually step out of that field and do something different.
Trackers on the other hand, once they find their passion, their single field, they stay there and rarely get out. Within that specific field they act as Snipers, targeting one goal after another (just like finding track after track), but it’s always related to the specific field of interest. Put a Tracker in a field that they are not interested in, and they flounder. They don’t feel fulfilled. They can feel trapped.
I’m a Tracker. I’m this way with filmmaking. In the field of filmmaking, I doggedly pursue goals and love every minute of it. Once I accomplish one goal, there is always another one to pursue. There is always something else to learn and better myself. I can always make my films better. I never tire of it. Some days I’m exhausted from the work, but I’m ready and excited the next day when I get up and out of bed in the morning.
I will venture out of filmmaking and pursue other goals, usually in my other areas of interest, such as my other companies and others hobbies. Once I’ve completed that goal, I’m right back to my filmmaking. Anyway, enough about me.
These people (Snipers and Trackers), they are the ones who become a success in whatever it is that they decide to do. That’s the key. They decided to do it. They decided to take action on what they wanted.
The Promise Code
To help you become a Sniper and/or a Tracker, check out The Promise Code. It’s a step-by-step process to achieving goals and keeping promises.
