Attention to Detail
By Neil M. Travis, Montana
It is common knowledge that a few individuals always
seem to be more successful than the majority. One angler
always catches the most fish; one individual always shoots
the biggest deer, elk, moose, or whatever. This person is
not just lucky. They are not the one that occasionally
catch their limit, shoots the most or the biggest game
animal or bird. This is the person that consistently is
head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, and
consistently produces results when everyone else is
drawing a blank. This is the person that you either
love to hate, or wish that you could enjoy their degree
of success. If you want to join that elite club I can offer
the following suggestions that may help you in your pursuit.
I have spent most of my life involved in a variety of
outdoors activities, and over time I have known many
very proficient sportsmen and women. Without exception
they all had devoted many hours to honing their skills,
and preparing themselves to take advantage of every
opportunity. This is what separates the exceptional
person from the rest of the pack.
At one time I taught classes in fly tying and fly-fishing,
and on the side of my portable fly tying box I had the
following quote. The author and the source have been lost
in time, but the message still rings true. "Nothing in the
world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not,
for nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with
talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a
proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated
derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
I have had the great fortune of having rubbed shoulders
with some very exceptional men and women hunters and
anglers. Without exception they all had a dogged
determination and persistence to be successful, however
success was something that they had determined for
themselves. Few, if any, of the individuals that I
would consider outstanding in their individual field
of endeavor subscribe to some external measure of
success.
While determination and persistence are fundamental
to success it must be focused and directed in a logical
and systematic manner if the desired results are to be
achieved. This is where attention to detail becomes
paramount.
Although I have personally tackled most of the outdoor
sports at some time in my life I have expended the
greatest amount of time and energy in two diverse
fields; fly fishing and ornithology. While widely
divergent in their respective goals they are both
quite similar when viewed from the aspect of practical
application, and I will use these two endeavors to
illustrate my point.
The competent fly fisher and the competent ornithologist
have to apply themselves to a serious regimen of learning.
This learning may be in the form of formal education, or
in the less formal, but equally effective school of
personal observation and application. The most successful
individuals that I know have spent time in both of these
classrooms.
Formal education can come in the form of classroom
settings taught by qualified instructors, or by applying
oneself to the written documents created by others that
have preceded us in our field of interest. In our modern
era we are blessed with a wealth of information in the
form of books, magazines, audio-visual products, and
the latest provider of information, the Internet. One
of the biggest challenges facing a person that is just
beginning to learn something new is to sort through the
plethora of information available, and decide
what is relevant and essential. Today we have the benefit
not only of the knowledge of our contemporaries, but also
those individuals that contributed to our current
storehouse of knowledge from previous times. Fly fishers
and ornithologists both have a tremendously rich heritage
contained in the written word.
Essential to both fly fishers and ornithologists is time
in the field. One of the unfortunate things that I have
observed in recent years is the number of individuals
that have extensive book knowledge, but virtually no
practical experience. In both fly-fishing and ornithology
I have encountered individuals whose formal knowledge of
the subject was impressive, but on the trout stream or
in the field observing actual birds they were completely
inept. Some of the most competent fly fishers and
ornithologists that I have had the privilege of knowing
possessed a combination of formal learning and practical
experience.
What separates the best from the rest is a willingness
to try. If you are unwilling to fail it is unlikely
that you will ever be truly successful. Once the basics
have been mastered, whether in fly-casting or bird
identification, it is time to put those skills to the
test. Fly-casting on a lawn is a great way to master
the essential casting strokes and identifying birds
with flash cards or pictures has its merit, but fly
casting on a trout stream and identifying birds in
the bush is an entirely different dimension.
Paying attention to the nuances, the subtle details
that escape others are one characteristic that
separates the elite from the crowd. I knew an old
fly fisherman whose proficiency on the trout stream
was the stuff of legend. Over a lifetime of careful
observation he had discovered certain subtleties
involving light and color that enabled him to construct
flies that were far more effective than other patterns
that were tied to represent the same insect. While
thousands of others had observed the same insects
they had failed to notice these subtle differences.
Not only did he observe something unique he was able
to translate it into something that made a very real
difference in his ability to catch trout, especially
when they were being very selective.
There is one final ingredient that separates the
truly successful individual from others in any
recreational pursuit. They are the ones that remember
that it is recreation, something that they do for fun,
and something that is not essential to the health,
welfare, or progress of society. Success is a personal
triumph, and proves neither their superiority to their
fellow man or the importance of their success to anyone
other than themselves. They usually find joy in obscurity,
and are content within themselves of their knowledge and
abilities. They continue to pursue their sport with a
personal intensity that brings them great satisfaction.
If you have arrived at that point you are truly one of
the elite. ~ Neil M. Travis, Montana/Arizona
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