The goal or the path

In the last few months, I have become a brand new beginner in two different things. Both are things I have wanted to do and yet been afraid to do for a variety of reasons. The story went like this, “Alice, you are now a responsible adult and if you haven’t done these things by now….” My curious, energetic inner teenager, who has reemerged in the last few years was tired of this story. These were flimsy excuses. I realized the short-term discomfort would probably not be as bad as the long-term regret.

Both of these activities involve being in my body and learning new techniques and skills. Neither activity is the kind of thing you pick up quickly. The instructors talk about years of training. In the past, I would have set some big goal as a starting place that would immediately set up pressure. Pressure is not always bad but on occasion I have been unrealistic. This time I tried a different approach.

This time I committed to the path. I received the instructor’s guidance (I realized these passionate people really do care about my progress and love seeing me succeed!) as to the actions I might take each day, that would lead to gradual and consistent progress.

I now have a few months under my belt. There have been times of absolute discomfort, sometimes physical discomfort when I have pushed too hard and I’ve had to take a few steps back. Other times when my brain just felt like there was too much new information. Some of the old excuses and even some new resistance tried to creep in and put obstacles in my way.  Thankfully my coaches have helped me to stay focused on the path, even on the foggy days and provided ongoing encouragement. (We never really make it on this journey without the help of others!) I can think about the goal but the real win is what I do day by day.

Is there a path that you’d like to follow, to something that matters to you?
How can you break it up into daily actions?
Who can you invite to be your guide, coach, instructor to help you along the way?

We all are on the journey together. It makes our collective celebration of success that much more fun.