Setting goals will increase your confidence, motivation, and determination. But, it will not get you there. It sets you off on the journey and can help you stay focused while climbing the mountain. You will need something else along the way. Steadfastness.
When we commit to a path and hope it will bring us to where we want to be, we judge if it’s the right path by what happens along the way. If things happen that we don’t like or if it is taking too long for us to reach our goals, we begin to doubt the path. We look for shortcuts and try to find other people taking different paths.
The Hiking Analogy
Picture hiking up a mountain. The trail you are on is challenging and dangerous. You were told it’s the best way to the top of the mountain. But time and time again you doubt if this is true. You have to climb over fallen trees and walk through mud. There are occasional snakes and you watch out for poison ivy. You look for another trail.
You come across another trail and think that it’ll be easier and bring you up to the top of the mountain faster. Then after a while, you realize that this trail is just as difficult as the other one and doesn’t seem to be going in the right direction. You turn around and get back on the original path. Now, where are you? Right back where you were when you decided to take a shortcut. Except you are more frustrated, exhausted, and behind on time.
If you would’ve put that time and energy into the original path you’d be significantly closer to the top. So is the path the problem or is it a lack of steadfastness?
We Get Worried
We get scared and worried. We are worried that we won’t make it to the top or that we won’t make it quick enough. So we scramble. We look for another way because we doubt the path but really we doubt ourselves.
It makes sense that we doubt ourselves. We doubt that we have what it takes to do what we want to do. Especially if we are doing something new or uncertain or challenging.
But how else will we become who we need to become? How else will we get what we need to make it? Settling into the process seems like the only way. This requires steadfastness, which is a combination of patience, commitment, and trust.
This implies an element of suffering and being secure in your position. Not backing out, not looking for detours when things don’t go your way, not letting your doubts and worries dictate your path.
Impacts Are Made Gradually
At the heart of steadfastness is patience. The ancient word for patience referred to rivers. These elements of rivers that stay the course, that continually flow no matter the route. And they change the surrounding landscape over time. It’s impact is gradual, powerful, and occurs below the surface.
Like a river, keep flowing. Some days will be more powerful than others. Yet, over time it is the steady commitment to flowing every day, trusting that consistent efforts over time will create an impact greater than what we thought possible.
It will never look how you think it should look. So commit to what it is.
Stay the course. Keep the path. Trust the process.
