The shortest distance is NOT a straight line

I have an important message and reminder for you today – the shortest distance between you and your goal is not a straight line!

I'm guessing that if you're feeling frustration on the way to these big goals you have for your life, then you're probably treating it like a straight line. Today, I'm going to give you a few ways to notice that this is happening so that you can correct these errors.

Just like a plane travels across the globe not following a straight line, the same is true for you traveling to your big goals. When you look at a map, and you want to go from one point to another, it looks like the best way to approach it is a straight line. But what we know is that this is actually not the shortest, or the most efficient route for an airplane to fly when it comes to three-dimensional space.

In our world, our big goals also require us to move through three-dimensional space. They are not little incremental movements we're looking for. We want to take big leaps; we want to make big changes. We have to realize that trying to follow a straight line is actually going to lead to more delays and more frustrations.

I'm giving you three ways to know whether you are trying to approach the path to your goals like a straight line.

#1: Are you are trying to figure out all the steps before starting? I see high performers fall into this trap frequently. You're used to succeeding and you're trying to ensure your success by being sure about steps A through Z. However, that's the straight line approach. What we're really meant to do for big goals is understand the next step, and take the next step. It is actually that act of moving into the next step and discovering what happens to tell you what to do next. Because it's not a straight line, you're not going to be able to figure out the future steps from where you begin. So, if you notice yourself trying to figure out all the steps before you begin, take a step back. Consider what you know to be one next step to take. Put that step into that action, and you start to pave the way to the future steps.

#2: Are you are trying to guarantee perfection? This straight-line approach creates major delays. We can't “make sure it’s all going to work out like we planned” when we try to reach big goals, because the very movement of ourselves forward is what keeps us becoming what we need to be as we go. We might think, “I want to make sure it's right before I put it out there,” but it’s in the act of actually putting yourself out there that you learn what you need to do to adjust and go to the next level with it. Think about the last challenging thing you learned, and the difference between before you started and when you had just even a little bit of experience. It’s huge! In moving toward our big goals, it's taking action, putting things out there when we don't know for sure if they're going to land the way we want – that’s what actually gives us the information we need to go to the next step. So, if you are trying to get guaranteed perfection, you are treating the path to your goals like a straight line, and you're going to continue to experience frustrations. Instead, we're meant to put things out there. We're not going to learn it from studying, we're going to learn it from doing.

#3: Are you preoccupied with the future? If you spend a lot of your moments with your mind somewhere else, then you are having this delay happen in your life right now. When we think of our goals like a straight line, we think we know what needs to happen next. We spend a lot of time wishing for that future moment. But in three-dimensional space, the present moment has what you need to go to the next step or the next level. Simply being in the moment as much as you can – actually engaging with your life that's happening at that moment – you actually create the connections, the realizations, or the relationships that you need for the things you're wishing for.

I know these ideas represent a different paradigm. That in and of itself is an important shift to recognize – when we're dealing with a big goal, we need a new paradigm. I'm guessing that if you're experiencing frustrations, one or more of these three ideas are happening to you. I encourage you to take a look at that.

If you would like help on this on this journey toward your big goals, this is what I do as a Certified High Performance Coach. I'm happy to offer you a strategy session to chat with me about these ideas and about coaching in general. Please reach out to me on beingevolutionary.com or direct message me. Until next time, be your best and keep being evolutionary!