The Path is not always Clear
When it comes to goals, we can usually come up with a clear destination – even if it is a stretch goal. The rubber meets the road when it comes down to the path to be taken – meaning the daily activities that will get you there. Daily action steps collide with reality constantly and adjustments have to be made. This is where interim milestones come in handy. These interim milestones can help keep us from drifting too far off track and show us how to stay on (or get back on) the path.
Arrow Anxiety
On the Camino de Santiago, the path to Santiago is marked by countless yellow arrows. Painted on rocks, trees, buildings, and street signs, these arrows quietly guide pilgrims across hundreds of miles of trails. The destination is clear and everyone is headed to the same place. The paths, however, can vary along the way thanks to some alternate routes.
Many first-timers experience a phenomenon that sets in early on: arrow anxiety.
It’s that nervousness that bubbles up when you haven’t seen an arrow in a while. Your mind starts to race: Did I miss a turn? Am I still on the right path? Should I backtrack just in case?
Camino pilgrims often find themselves scanning every post and wall, hyper-alert for the next yellow reassurance. When you are faced with walking 12-20 miles in a day, you do not want to ever get off track and have to double back. Arrow anxiety flares up at every intersection and possible fork in the path. Drift may be even worse with business and personal goals where the path is not as obvious. And yet, very few people check in with their goals on a daily basis… Why is that?
When it comes to the Camino: For the most part it’s pretty well-marked. But there are a few times when the arrows are not very close together. If you get off track, the consequences are immediate and they hurt depending on how many extra miles you have to walk. In business and in life, the consequences are more subtle and delayed.
Direction Arrows on the Camino
The Arrows in Life
In life, we feel this same kind of anxiety when we’re unsure of our next step. We want guarantees that we’re on the “right path.” We strain to find clear signs, looking for certainty in every decision.
Much like the Camino, the journey of life often doesn’t give us a map with every turn labeled but we do have tools that we can build. We have hopes, goals, dreams and friends. Sometimes the way seems clear (arrows are there). Other times we have to forge ahead based on what we know in spite of what we still don’t know. Sometimes we just need to slow down and trust we’ll see the arrows when we need to. Sometimes we will have to double back and regroup.
Even if we do miss a turn, it’s rarely catastrophic. Sometimes the detour becomes the most memorable and meaningful part of the journey. We do have to keep moving though – the sun will set on today at some point.
Making Your Way – Along the Way
If you’re in a season of uncertainty, maybe the invitation isn’t to strain harder for signs but to walk forward with faith. Stay present. Pay attention. And trust that the next “arrow” will appear. Maybe what you need is a trail buddy going on the same journey at the same time… A Life Coach who walks the talk.
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