While out and about the other day, I had a small conversation in passing with a young woman. She told me, quite impatiently, that all she wanted was to be married with children and have a house already. I couldn’t help but be struck by this, because of how young she was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to judge. If you know what you want, than you know what you want. I met my wife when I was 17 years old and never looked back. Now, I am 31 and have never regretted one moment the commitment we made to each other so long ago. We just knew.
My advice to this young gal was to slow down and not live too fast. I told her to invite these things into her life, but not to force them. She will find them and they will find her. I’ve always found that forcing things to happen, never goes good. If something isn’t meant to be, than it just isn’t meant to be. Walking the path that life has set in front of you, or seeking your own for that matter, comes with all sorts of essential lessons that will better us in the long run.
“Ok, Josh. Does this mumbo jumbo have anything to do with hunting?” Of course it does, this is a hunting blog. The story of the young woman reminds me of myself when I was first starting down the path of hunting. I wanted to be successful so bad, it felt as if I would have done anything to do so. Always trying to seek out hunting spots from other individuals and discouraged to find my own. I had no confidence, because I hadn’t earned it yet and was willing to dispel opportunities to learn, for opportunities to fill my tag. Desperation best describes this.
Desperation ~ a state of despair, typically one that results in rash or extreme behavior
I told the girl to not live too fast. What I want to tell you, is to not hunt too fast. Hunting, and archery hunting in particular, can be extremely frustrating. Reading magazines and scrolling through social media can sometimes have you wondering why you can’t be successful like these folks are. What you aren’t seeing on the surface though in these success photos is everything that went into that particular individual’s hunt and how they got where they are in their “hunting career.”
All of us have to start somewhere, and just like with life, hunting is filled with all sorts of essential lessons that will better us in the long run. Thinking back on not being successful those first couple of years makes me realize that I simply wasn’t ready to be. The necessary tools hadn’t been acquired yet to do so. I always recall that whenever I have had a tough hunt that ends in success. So, like stated above, invite these things into your life, but do not try to force them. Breathe in what the mountains have to offer you and learn from your “failures.” When that opportunity for success ripens and is ready to be picked by you, it will taste that much better.
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