The higher the goal, the greater the potential setbacks you will face. And more than setbacks, I am talking about the switchbacks inevitably built into any steep climb. Clinging to your footing, a time will come when suddenly the path seems to descend without any sign of a reached peak. Your bear bells won’t easily scare off the discouragement that lies in wait. Your new downhill trajectory, however, is no sign of failure—do not be fooled and turn around, judging the heights as only accessible by retreating and retracing.
The obstacle that must be overcome in this scenario is a conscious one. For the body, it exerts itself less walking downward rather than up—but our spirits are more depleted by one meaningless step than by a thousand purposeful ones. Those accustomed to only short-term success won’t be accustomed to dealing with switchbacks to this extreme degree. Herein lies the danger, but there’s also a catch: it is the confidence built up through minor and short-term successes that help grow the courage within us to formulate higher and higher goals. Ultimately, the habit of success is its own switchback that must be overcome.
Oh, and how many of us once aimed our goals high (and were right in doing so!) but have stopped after a few setbacks and switchbacks! We learned the wrong lesson; it wasn’t the aiming high that was the problem, it was not understanding that any peak worth reaching won’t be accessible by a seemingly direct route. Not understanding this, many turn back, sometimes whole generations at a time!
Friends, formulate a non-arbitrary goal that cannot be achieved in a day. Do this so you can wake in the morning knowing which path you’re on, sure in even your most roundabout steps. And remember that during a long life, some switchbacks are best measured in years.