Change Your Direction

Isn’t it interesting how easy it can be to desire a different destination in life but not necessarily desire a new direction? It's pretty common to want the big payoff without the bigger sacrifice. What's uncommon is that ever being the case. Many times, the assumption is that the direction changes naturally when you choose a new destination and yet that will never be true because the order is wrong. An hour is whole because of the minutes within it. A minute is whole only because of the seconds within it. Every big goal or big change you desire will require a variance of smaller actions. Perhaps the easier more memorable way to put it would be to say, “a big change, requires smaller changes”.

A new year typically calls for a time where we list out many things we want to accomplish. It's a time to reset and reestablish our big goals but not so much the big changes they may require. Sound familiar? Let’s call the big change you want to see in life your destination. Perhaps your destination is a title at your job, a certain amount in the bank for savings, a weight-loss goal or maybe it’s an actual destination like Hawaii, Amsterdam or Chicago. Maybe your destination is more dire, like trying to reverse the effects of diabetes or high-blood pressure. To a large extent, our hopes and goals for new destinations in life are a result of the extended time we’ve invested in our current and mostly opposite state. You worked long and hard to become overweight and now that you desire a new destination in weight-loss you’re looking for the quickest fix possible but you cannot simply change without a process. The 10 year state you’re currently in will take more than 10 days to change. The good news however, is that you can change anything you want as long as you understand that although your destination cannot change in an instant, your direction can.

Imagine you are driving to work and rushing to make it before the clock hits 8am – the time work begins for most people in the world, we’ll call it your

current destination – and you’re longing for the 5pm alarm to ring, we’ll call this your new desired destination. By the way, in no part of your existence but in your imagination will 8am miraculously become 5pm. As long as time moves forward you will eventually hear the bell and be on your way out of the office. Many people set lofty goals without considering a realistic process or span of time it takes to reach it. They’ll hope to lose weight after 3 workouts,

expect to be given a raise and promotion after 2 sales or demand marriage after the four dates. When things don’t happen immediately or within the imagined timeline, many will become depressed, anxious, upset or even angry. The first step to take is to understand that changing your destination will manifest through first changing direction and changing direction happens step by step. The second step is to be consistent and the third, to be patient with your process.

1. Change your direction

2. Be consistent

3. Be patient

4. Repeat

You will never attain your big goals in life or reach your destination without first accepting that you're facing the wrong direction. Change your direction through small, consistent steps, be patient with your process and continue this until you're there. Be cautious to only be encouraged by your progress and not distracted as sometimes even good things can be bad distractions.

It’s time to be effective with your goal-setting activities. Get the order of actions that lead to your success right, by learning to focus more on the direction than the destination. No one eats a whale in one bite, no one is the champ off the first fight. Be patient with your process, focus and watch your actions lead you to the destination of your dreams. Be blessed~