Stairway To...

The other day, I was climbing a giant set of stairs. No, I mean it. They were extremely long and extensive. Amidst my thoughts of how I would not have to go to the gym that day, I was trying to formulate a method of climbing that would minimize the ensuing exhaustion. I quickly realized that it was easier and less tiring to climb when I just concentrated on the next step. Subsequently, I kept my head down and simply focused on the upcoming step, rather than the whole set. Nevertheless, I was unable to track my relative progress if I did not look at the overall staircase, and thus, would occasionally look up to see where I was in comparison to the entirety.

Sooo...what does my detailed description of my stair climbing have to do with anything? The stairs are an analogy to our process of attaining goals. We have goals for everything. There are goals for finishing our next paper, long-term career goals, and even life goals about where we would like to see ourselves 20 years from now. Keeping all of these goals straight is difficult, so we end up teetering between maintaining the big picture and keeping all the small pieces together. It is important to break our goals down into bite-size portions, so we can systematically achieve our goals, but in the process of breaking down, we should not forget what whole the parts constitute. I find it helpful to lay it out on a piece of paper if I ever feel overwhelmed, so that I can see how everything fits together. We usually have a hierarchy of goals, and it is important that we prioritize what comes next, and determine the best possible way to approach it. In other words, make sure to climb the stairs but remember where the staircase leads!