“You need not see the entire staircase in order to take the first step” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This quote, I have to admit, is kind of upsetting to me. Not because it’s untrue–Dr. King certainly knew what he was talking about. But it begs the question: Where did we get this idea in the first place that we have to have all the answers to all the questions in order to do anything? Success is built one step at a time–often without having all of the answers necessary to get to your final destination, vision or goal. And frequently, that final destination will change and evolve as you travel your own path of success!
Think about it this way: if you wanted to, you could drive from sea to shining sea across this country at night–you could drive the whole way in the pitch of darkness–with only your headlights. That’s a journey of upwards of 3000 miles made 30 feet at a time, taken only by what your headlights illuminate. So you see, a successful journey is not about how much information you have at any given moment in time. It is about capitalizing on the information you do have at any given time, using that to press on towards your final goal. That final goal gives you direction, but the 30 feet of lit-up road are all you need at a time to get there.
Photo source here.
