Bowling Tips

He wasn’t too happy. I went to a church bowling tournament where it was assumed that the person who organized it would win. He had won every other time they had had this event.

I really wasn’t trying to win, either. While I was an average bowler, my scores posed no threat to the champ.

Nobody counted on a tip that would instantly improve my bowling scores forever and teach me something about life, too.

While I was warming up, my frustration of not knocking over many pins showed. Then one of the Riske brother’s said, “John, try aiming for the markers on the floor partway down the alley and not the pins.”

I did. Strike. I did it again. Strike. I rattled off five strikes in a row. I couldn’t believe it.

To me, the object of bowling had always been to knock down the pins, but it never occurred to me that if I aimed at something closer, the rest would take care of itself.

With a bit of embarrassment, I received the trophy from the person who was expected to win it. He was gracious, but I could see the look of disappointment in his face.

Don’t we do the same thing in life? We set our sights on something off in the distance without looking for the markers that are closer that will guide us to our goal, knowing that if we hit them, our chance of success will be better.