Viewing the Distant Mountain

There is a Japanese phrase that reads "Enzan O metsuke" which roughly translates as "viewing the distant mountain". This is pragmatically associated in budo with looking slightly beyond the opponent in combat in order to keep a general focus on everything that is happening without being distracted by specifics. It can also be used to mean thinking strategically rather than tactically, moving toward a goal beyond the immediate one.
As a fencing coach it is often quite easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of the every-day problems of a fencing salle. Someone is chewing gum, not everyone is doing the warm-up, here comes that fencer who is always late again, why are the students so inattentive tonight etc etc. These all build up like cloud, obscuring the view of the distance. It is important to keep one's eyes on the distant mountain, which for me is the fact that my role is to introduce an activity I value, spark an interest in it, keep it entertaining, challenging and fulfilling and hopefully create something that will mean as much to my students as it does me, whilst accepting that not everyone will get it. Now that's what I call a view...... if I can just remember to keep looking at it.....