They say the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but what they don’t tell you is that sometimes that distance between those two points isn’t always clear, with cumbersome obstacles along the way. Everyone thinks the shortest way is the easiest way and that it gives you perfect results, which sometimes is true, but when it comes to reaching your goals, I’d say to take the long way around because you will appreciate it even more in the end. Now, you might be thinking: “Why should I take the long way around when I can go right after it straight ahead?” Well, let me tell you a little story as to why the long way is the best way on the path to reaching your goals.

When I was a child, my father would never be in a rush to get things done for many reasons. One of those reasons was simply because he believed that everything would get done in its due time. Another reason was that he saved more energy, enjoying the work more when he took his time as opposed to when he rushed through what he was working on at the time. Now, my father was a hardworking man and worked until the day he died at 73 years old from multiple myeloma (also known as bone marrow cancer). He taught me that if you want to do things right, you cannot rush them, whether it was building something or cleaning, it should not be rushed because if it is, you can’t easily find the faults or spots you missed. Since then, I have taken the long way to get the things I, or someone else wants me to get done.

When you’re chasing your goals, don’t sprint to the finish line, or else the victory will be short lived, or worse, you might burn yourself out and you won’t fully enjoy what you have accomplished. Yes, the long way might seem more tiring psychologically, but it’s the better teacher as opposed to taking the straightest path. The end isn’t what’s important; it’s the pursuit. What people need to understand is that laziness gets you nowhere, and if you want to pursue something you have to go for it the hard way with have no regrets as to what may happen. I’m telling you if you keep sitting around and refrain from pursuing the dream you have burning inside you, you will end up still sitting on a couch, telling your children: “I wanted to do x, y, and z, when I was your age, but now I’m too old and can’t do the things I dreamed of doing Don’t be like me kids; follow your dreams while you’re still young.” Get up off your couch, lace up your shoes and start working on reaching your goals the long way with no short cuts. Don’t be an example of what people shouldn’t do, be the example of who people aspire to be.

If you are sitting there thinking of how to reach your goals, remember the longest journey starts with the first step, NOT by waiting for a miracle to happen.