By Kathleen Taylor

Leslie Householder often talks about staking your claim—literally walking up to the target, placing your arrow right in the center of the bullseye, tying a string to the end of it, and walking back to where you are. Then, as you move toward your goal, you feel a gentle tug if you veer off course. It’s such a powerful visual for how unseen help can guide us, nudging us back on track when we stray.

Recently, I got to experience this concept on a much deeper level. At Leadership Conference, we were given the chance to try our hand at archery. Since we’re all familiar with the “Stake Your Claim” concept, I thought this would be a fun way to reinforce the principle.

After everyone had their turn shooting arrows, I was asked to place an arrow in the center of the target. A string was tied to the arrow, and I stepped back to my starting point. Then, a bag was gently placed over my head.

Now I couldn’t see the arrow at all. My instructions? Go for the goal, and reel in the string as I walked.

Easy peasy, right?
The goal is straight ahead. I’ve staked my claim. I know where I’m going.

I began reeling in the string.

And almost immediately—I bumped into someone.

Because I was blindfolded, I had no idea several people had stepped out to block my path. The first obstacle was abrupt, and totally unexpected. I thought, Wait a minute—I staked my claim! Shouldn’t this be easy?

I paused. I focused on the string.
It tugged slightly to the left.

So I followed.

I reeled it in, one step at a time. I made it around the first obstacle, but now I was more cautious. I started wondering:

What’s coming next? Would I stumble? Was anyone watching?

Then—another obstacle.
This time, the string pulled a little to the right.

I trusted the direction. Reeled it in.

Would I fail? Was this even worth it?

Then another obstacle. The string pulled upwards.

I followed the pull. Reeled it in.

What am I even doing?

Obstacle.
Check the string.

Obstacle.
Check the string.

I took a deep breath.

And that’s when it clicked: it was working.

I was getting closer to my goal—bit by bit.
Because my goal was literally tied to the string in my hands.

It didn’t matter how long it took. I had staked my claim.
It was mine.

That realization gave me renewed focus. I stopped fearing the obstacles and started seeing them as opportunities.

Each time I bumped into something, it was simply a chance to check the string, adjust, and keep going.

Reel it in.
Opportunity.
Which direction is it pulling now?

Reel it in.
Opportunity.
What’s my next right step?

Reel it in.
Opportunity.

There were plenty more obstacles—at one point I’m pretty sure I brushed up against someone’s armpit (some of our obstacles really test us!)—but eventually, I reached the arrow.

I reached my target.

By law, I had to.

When I staked my claim, I set something into motion. That action created an effect, and the result was guaranteed—as long as I didn’t quit.

It felt like it took forever.
But I got there.
It was mine.

And you can do the same.

So let me ask you:

👉 Where will you stake your claim today?
👉 How will you relax and trust that it’s already yours?
👉 How can you focus on reeling in the string—paying attention to the tugs, making course corrections, and continuing forward?

Because here’s the truth:

What you want, wants you.

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