I often feel like simplifying things is a challenge in and of itself. . I tend to make things way more complicated than they probably should be. . The solutions I hear or study about seem way too simple. . I think, “it can’t be that simple” . I recently read an interesting concept from a book called Bold by Peter Diamandis. . He talks about “thinking outside the box” . He says that thinking outside the box is not the best way to innovate. . He makes the argument that in order for innovation to thrive, you must put more constraints on the box. . So by tightening up the constraints, you must be more creative to come up with the solution. . This seems counterintuitive, but it’s very effective according to the stories he cites in the book. You should read it. . How does this apply to simplification? . In our lives, we want to expand. . More money, more house, more cars, more more. . This excess can lead to all kinds of issues. . Needless to say, if we put constraints on what we do, it forces us to become more creative with the resources we currently have. . Constraints or simplifications lead to more resourcefulness and effectiveness with our time, money, and other resources. . Likewise, it simplifies our training methods. . It keeps us focused on the things that are foundational to our success instead of the shiny object. . So, what I want you to do next is Ponder on this one and start simplifying and creating constraints on what you are doing day to day. . In addition to daily life, implement this into your training. . What are the fundamental practices you can do that will most improve your Skillsets? . Until next time, shoot well and shoot often. - #onpointshooting #simplify #shooting #personaldevelopment #shotgunshooting

Target Tip 015: Why Only Practicing Hard Targets won’t Make You a Better Shooter . Sure, we need to practice hard targets. . They are vital to our progress in Shooting. However, if all we ever practice is the hard targets we will lose out on a very significant part of the game. . And that is consistency. . Consistency on the easy targets is what I believe to make the difference between the best shooters in the mid tier shooters. . Sure the best shooters can hit that hard targets on a regular basis. But that’s not what wins the tournaments. . For example, recently at Utah state shoot, I didn’t place as high as I should have. And that was because I failed to execute on a lot of simple shots. . I remember hitting almost all of the hard targets. But that did not make for the little mistakes I made on the easy targets. . So in your practice, focus on hitting those singles. Focus on grinding out the easy targets. . Make sure to mix in some hard ones, but focus on consistency of the simple targets you know how to hit. . That will go a lot further in building a good score than hitting every one of the hard targets. . Oh and by the way, the applies to your every day life too. Everybody always sets goals to lose 50 - 100 pounds. They set goals to make an extra $1,000,000 when they haven’t made $100,000. Get back to the simple stuff start hitting the singles and start creating the little wins every single day on a consistent and regular basis. . And yes, I realize my baseball analogy is not 100% accurate in terms of real baseball games. But go with me at a principal level here. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting #consistency #goals

Target Tip 013: How Struggling Will Help You Grow . People naturally avoid pain and seek pleasure. . Its how we are built. . The brain is designed to reward or punish us for certain activities. . That being said, most of us tend to avoid pain, struggle, and hardship. . What those people do not realize is that those pains and struggles are the exact recipe and formula they need. . Its the formula for growth. . Growth only comes under stress, pain, hardship, and struggle. . If you can learn to shift from avoiding pain to seeking learning and growth, no matter what life throws at you, you’ll be able to handle it. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear #onpointshooting #shootingsports #shotgunshooting #growthmindset

Target Tip 013: How Struggling Will Help You Grow . People naturally avoid pain and seek pleasure. . Its how we are built. . The brain is designed to reward or punish us for certain activities. . That being said, most of us tend to avoid pain, struggle, and hardship. . What those people do not realize is that those pains and struggles are the exact recipe and formula they need. . Its the formula for growth. . Growth only comes under stress, pain, hardship, and struggle. . If you can learn to shift from avoiding pain to seeking learning and growth, no matter what life throws at you, you’ll be able to handle it. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear #onpointshooting #shootingsports #shotgunshooting #growthmindset

Every one of us has a limit as it pertains to our skill sets in different areas. . Each of these limits might be higher or lower depending upon where you are at in your experiences, knowledge, skills, and talents. . Often times as you try new things and seek to seize an opportunity you come across what I call... . The Edge . The Edge is the place in which your skills Have reached their limits. . Just like a cliff has an edge, so too do your talents, skills, and abilities. . You approach the Edge every time new technology is unveiled. . Every time you are trying something you’ve never done before. . Every time you are asked to do something you do not feel confident in. . You can often feel The Edge approaching as you kick start a new project or have a conversation we’ve never had before. . You might feel anxious, nervous, doubtful, or perhaps even frustrated. . Just like approaching the edge of a cliff. . Every cliff is different just like your talents, skill sets, and abilities. . So as you endeavor to seek new challenges and find your Edge, you must also seek to find new cliffs that will allow you to expand your capability, opportunity, and confidence. - #onpointshooting #shootingperformance #personaldevelopment #growthmindset

Target Tip 024: Why Smooth Movement is Fast Movement . We often think we have less time than we actually do. . In fact I am going to guess that you’ve set goals that completely overestimate what you would accomplish in a year. . You set all these goals that you think you’ll be able to hit. . Yet at the end of the year, you didn’t get close. . I’d bet too that you have underestimated what you could do in 3-5 years. . The thing is that we have time, we just have to stay smooth and consistent on the course. . When we are shooting, the smoother, straighter, and consistent lines we make will save us so much time. . Smooth is fast because smooth has little to no waste. . Pay attention to the things that waste your time. . It makes all the difference between a hit and a miss on the range and in life. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @wasatchwingandclay #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting #shooting #secondammendment #2a #gunstagram #wintheday #iam1stphorm #100to0 #LegionofBoom #legionaires #Motivation #Mindset #Mechanics (at Wasatch Wing and Clay) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bowt7JnHPBs/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ka8bcujl797p

I have noticed a trend among people. . I’ve noticed this trend with in myself as well. . When somebody asks me or somebody else how they’re doing, or how they did in an event or workout or something. . Somehow we manage to find an elaborate story for why we didn’t do better. . Instead of focusing on what went well we tend to focus on what didn’t go well. . Just this morning, I was in the middle of a workout sweating like crazy. . My legs were exhausted. . And I felt like I didn’t have the Energy I should. . What started out as just some simple jump ropes, air squats and power snatches, . Turned into me finishing the work out almost 7 minutes slower than everybody else. . The interesting thing about me finishing so slow was that I kept asking myself “why is this so hard?” . “Why am I going so slow?” . “I can’t believe this is so hard for me” . Frustrated by the end, I said to a couple people, “I don’t know why that was so hard” . Instead of saying I finished. . You see the thing I kept saying in my head was the story that I was living. . In this case it was more important that I got the workout in then how well I did on the scoreboard. . So even when you fail or do not perform to expectation. . If you can shift your focus to what you did well, what you accomplished, or the progress you’ve made. . Then THAT will be the story you’ll actually be living. . Too many people keep telling the same story about why they are where they are in life and then complain that nothing has changed in their lives. . When you shift your story from negative justifications to productive and positive ones, progress becomes possible. . So tell your story, but make sure it’s the one you want to live. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting

Would you call yourself a liar? . I would. . Now that I’ve got your attention, here’s the truth. . We are all liars to some degree. . Let me ask you this, when was the last time you told someone you’d be there in 10 minutes, but showed up at least 15 minutes later? . How about an hour or two later? . I am probably the worst time estimator there is. . We all have little things we do that hinder our progress. . That slow us down. . That makes thing more difficult than they should be. . I am not perfect at this, but I am trying. . I suggest you do the same. . Eliminate the little lies that make you or someone else fee better. . Eliminate the deceptions you give yourself. . Eliminate the excuses. . When you do this, your life will improve and become much easier. . Until next time. Shoot well and shoot often. - @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #personaldevelopment #shooting #betterpeople #shootingsports

How often do we say, “we will cross that bridge when we get to it” . I know I do. . I am probably one of the worst procrastinator’s in the world. . I I literally have to break my trains of thought in order to not put something off. . The same can be said for preparation for performance or execution of a task. . How many shots did Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant take before every game? . How many putts did tiger wood sink before the PGA tour? . You cannot expect to perform at a world class level if you haven’t done the work to prepare. . Only those that have prepared are the ones that can improvise on a last minute change. . Improvising is a big piece of performing at high levels. . Multiple time Olympic gold-medalist Lanny Bassham learned The lesson of mental fortitude and improvisation while competing in the world rifle shooting championships in a snowstorm in Switzerland. . Living in Texas he never trained in the snow. So during the championships when a blizzard rolled through he was unable to see his target he had to improvise the way he was doing things. . Because he had trained and prepared on a consistent basis he was able to adapt and improvise to Shooting in a snowstorm because he had the fundamentals and skills prepared before hand. . He won the match that day. . Simply because he prepared both mentally and mechanically. . So whatever you do, whatever you want to excel at, whatever you want to want to win at . Prepare so you can adapt to the ever changing circumstances in your life. . Until next time, shoot well and shoot often. - #onpointshooting #shooting #mentalmanagement #improvisation #preparation

Target Tip 019: Why You Shouldn’t Put Pressure On Yourself . Headed into the last day of the US Open, I was down way too many targets to even have a chance at making top 10, let alone top 30. . Yet somehow I was still competing to win. . Not a podium win, but one that says, “I left it all out there” . In trying to do so, I kept having this feeling of pressure. . Going into the last day, I had no to collapse under or even feel pressure because frankly I wasn’t in a position to have any. . I was 65 or so names down the list. . I was honestly really frustrated I wasn’t shooting better. I knew I was better than I was executing. . Well, the last day came around and I went out and shot. I ended up shooting a 62/67 which wasn’t a record setting score or anything. But I did end up in the top 50. . The funny thing was I still kept feeling this pressure I was putting on myself. . I didn’t need to do that, even if I was in the top spot. . Pressure is this imaginary thing we create in our heads. . The reality is simple, do your best. . When you don’t, do better next time. . Period. . There’s no need to add more pressure on ourselves than we should. . Obviously we want to win. . Obviously we want to do better everytime. . There’s no sense in putting more pressure on than ourselves than we need. . So whether it’s sporting clays or bowling, if you can just focus on executing what you know how to do, you’ll be way better off. . Until next time, shoot well and shoot often. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting #pressure (at Tucson Trap & Skeet Club)

Target Tip 018: How to Practice the Key Component of Follow Through . I think a lot of people forget about the concept of follow through. . I’ve coached several people that think they are actually following through. . However, the reality is they’re not. . Today was a crazy day for me and I didn’t have time to create this video until tonight. . But that’s what follow through is all about. . this is the key component of follow through. . That you maintain discipline and execute on your shot every single time. . So if you want to start improving your follow through. . Start with your every day practices. . Create discipline within the other areas of your life so that when you are training skills such as follow through, your mind is much more easily adapted to executing that skill on a consistent basis. . Until next time, shoot well and shoot often - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting (at Tucson Trap & Skeet Club)

If you pay attention to the world around us you’ll find people everywhere sedating him selves in one way or another. . We See it in a number of ways. . Drug use, alcoholism, gluttony, pornography, excessive exercise, binge watching tv, just to name a few. . These paths of escape can lead to a myriad of problems over a long period of time. . But the biggest problem of all is that the people on theses paths fail to actually deal with their problems or pain. . They sedate themselves and try to run away from what they’re actually struggling with instead of dealing with the problem at all because it’s too painful. . I have experienced this mindset myself. . Feeling stuck in a path I didn’t know where it lead to. . Just feeling angry, frustrated, lonely, and sad. . Eventually I dug myself out of that pit discovered a sense of purpose. I stopped sedating myself and finally understood my pain. . I found what I had been looking for and it’s led me here to today. . I am mot perfect by any means nor do I profess to be the world’s greatest. . Because I’m not. . I’m just a guy on a journey. Trying to figure out this game we call life. . On this journey I have learned to no longer run away from my problems. I deal with them and work through issues as they come. . Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us. . But it’s up to us to see the curveball coming understand what there is to know about the curveball and take a swing at it. . If we can understand our pain, our frustrations, the things that make us sad, we’ve just taken the first step to eliminating that pain. . The same concept applies to Shooting Performance. . If we can understand why we are missing targets. . If we can understand why we are inconsistent. . If we can understand what is causing us to feel anxious or nervous in a competition. . Then we can start finding solutions to these problems and to these frustrations. . So take a minute and reflect on what’s causing you pain physically emotionally competitively etc. . Start finding solutions to what’s causing this pain. . Until next time, shoot well and shoot often. - @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting

People, myself included, often have the misconception that because they put in the time they deserve the results. . I have found myself in this trap on several occasions. . I’ve done it in my work. . I’ve done it in my shooting. . I’ve done it in my relationships. . This misconception is that of an entitlement mindset. . First off we don’t deserve anything. . Everything is earned. . Second, a checklist does not always equate to a specific result. . If it is part of a specific process, sure. But it is no longer a checklist. That would be considered a standard operating procedure. . In working for a firearm manufacturer, I learned the value of having a checklist or standard operating procedure for everything that must be repeated on a continual basis. . These processes or procedures are what allow a company or business to create specific results within the business. . So in everything you do from training and practice for a tournament or workplace productivity, create systems and processes for yourself. . Processes that yield a specific result. . And if you execute that process over a long period of time your Activity and productivity will yield much greater results. . Till next time, shoot well and shoot often - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting #systems #processes #productivity #training

I think way too many people are waiting for the “right time” to do something. . They want all the money before settling down. . They want to build up endurance before starting a difficult workout regimen. . They want to ease into things. . I think you get the point. . What many of us do not realize is that if we keep waiting, the time will never be perfect. . Sometimes we just have to give ourselves permission to take our game to the next level and push ourselves a little bit more. . Give yourself permission to improve. Give yourself permission to do the hard things.. . If we keep waiting, we will wait forever. . Become your best self without needing anyone’s permission but your own. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting

I think way too many people are waiting for the “right time” to do something. . They want all the money before settling down. . They want to build up endurance before starting a difficult workout regimen. . They want to ease into things. . I think you get the point. . What many of us do not realize is that if we keep waiting, the time will never be perfect. . Sometimes we just have to give ourselves permission to take our game to the next level and push ourselves a little bit more. . Give yourself permission to improve. Give yourself permission to do the hard things.. . If we keep waiting, we will wait forever. . Become your best self without needing anyone’s permission but your own. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting

I think way too many people are waiting for the “right time” to do something. . They want all the money before settling down. . They want to build up endurance before starting a difficult workout regimen. . They want to ease into things. . I think you get the point. . What many of us do not realize is that if we keep waiting, the time will never be perfect. . Sometimes we just have to give ourselves permission to take our game to the next level and push ourselves a little bit more. . Give yourself permission to improve. Give yourself permission to do the hard things.. . If we keep waiting, we will wait forever. . Become your best self without needing anyone’s permission but your own. - @budheaton @krieghoff_international @pillaperformanceeyewear @1stphorm @axilofficial #onpointshooting #shotgunshooting