Concentrate on what you do

Once, while in the US, Swami Vivekanand was watching some boys standing on a bridge and trying to shoot at eggshells floating on the river.

The egg-shells bobbed up and down. The boys could not hit any of them.
They fired the gun many times but they always missed the target.

They noticed that Swamiji was watching them. So they called out to him; “Well, you are watching us. Do you think you can do better?”

Swamiji took the gun and aimed at the egg-shells. He stood very still for a few minutes. Then he fired the gun. He fired twelve times, and every time he hit an egg-shell! The boys were very surprised.

How could any man shoot egg-shells like that? They thought.

They said to Swamiji; “How did you do it?

Swamiji laughed.

“Whatever you are doing”, he said, “put your whole mind to it. If you are shooting, your mind should be only on the target. Then you will never miss. If you are learning your lessons, think only of the lesson. In my country boys are taught to do this.”