I’m wondering if success or winning or victory (pick your favorite word) is better defined by direction then it is by destination.
Sometimes we measure our achievements like reaching a spot on a map. But I’m finding that there is a greater satisfaction by the rigor of heading in a certain direction – a direction toward progress.
Simply said, growth is more pleasing than goals.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s good to set goals. But goals are more like a spot on the map – they show me that I’m still headed in the right direction.
Growth is like traveling west: you can head that direction for the rest of your life and never arrive. (Interesting to note…you can travel north and at some point you start traveling south)
I’ve been doing P90X for 70 days. I realize more and more that completing P90X isn’t about completing the program in 90 days as much as it’s about moving you in a clear direction in your physical health and habits. Some people struggle with physical fitness goals (like me!). But if you stop looking at goals and start moving…in the same direction…for a lot of days in a row…amazing things happen.
Once a year my University has a “walk to work day.” Lots of people participate. I typically don’t. Mostly because I live 23 miles away from work. It’s not like I couldn’t walk to work. I just don’t want to invest the 7-8 hours it would take me to accomplish it. It’s not an impossible task. It just takes a lot of time. Time…and energy…and good walking shoes. Everyday is a decision about what we will invest our time and energy into. If you have big dreams, it will probably take a bigger daily investment. Most of the time though, it’s about taking small steps in the same direction over a long period of time.
Sometimes the task is hard or painful. But most of the time, growth comes from doing the right things on a daily basis. You can’t write a book in a day, but you can write a page a day. And after 200 days of doing that…guess what you’ve got?
Some people have asked me what I’m going to do when I come to the end of P90X on 10/10/2010. What I share is that I’ll probably celebrate by going out and buying some new clothes (old ones don’t fit so well anymore). I’ll probably take a few days to rest. Then I’ll keep going. Because now that I have invested 90 days in my own physical health and well-being, why would I want to stop and waste all that work?
It’s not a destination, it’s a direction!
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