“We learn the way, on the way” ~ David Oldfield
The first step on any journey is often the hardest.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed before that first step as we try to imagine the entire journey, every unanticipated twist and turn. The detours. The missteps. The mental, physical, internal, and external obstacles that stand between us and our destination. In the rich and fertile lands of our own imagination, our molehills will become mountains, and everything that could go wrong will go wrong. In this place, the first step is, therefore, a commitment to an outcome beyond our abilities and outside of our control. No wonder it feels like a leap into the deep end where we’re always out of our depth.
There is another perspective, however. One that acknowledges our own inner resources and resilience – our proven ability to adapt to the unexpected, to navigate the obstacles and detours with grace and dignity. With that perspective, the first step is still a powerful commitment – but this time a commitment to learning. While the entire journey might take us into uncharted terrain far beyond the horizon, the first step is always familiar ground. And with each step, we’re able to find what we need to take the next step. And the next.
Whether or not we choose to believe it before we take that first step, we always learn the way on the way. That’s what got us here, and it’s what will get us there.
This, then, is an invitation to choose. Will you choose to leap or to learn?
This week’s inquiry…
Which first step have you been resisting?
More to enjoy…
What frogs in hot water can teach us about thinking again
Today’s Monday Bites topic aligns with this powerful TED talk by Adam Grant on the idea of ‘rethinking’ – intentionally allowing a shift in perspective to reframe a challenge or opportunity. Grant borrows examples from his own life to illustrate how tunnel vision around our goals, habits, and identities can find us stuck on a narrow path.
“Humans might be smarter than frogs, but our world is full of slow-boiling pots”
Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there’s another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt.
With bold ideas and rigorous evidence, Grant investigates how we can embrace the joy of being wrong.
