Changing Direction Is Not Failure

One of the things that you need to understand is that progress is not about speed, but it has a lot to do with direction. If you are racing down the wrong track, no matter the speed at which you are going, it will not equate to progress. In fact, the faster you race, the farther away you become from achieving your goal. Someone who is moving at a slow pace on the right track is actually making more progress than someone who is moving with speed on the wrong track. This is why direction is very important to success. Changing direction is not failure. You need to know when to make a u-turn and when to change direction. When you get it right with direction, you are already halfway through achieving your goal.

A lot of people see turning back as a sign of failure, and that has made them to keep advancing in futility. While growing up, we were taught to "never quit," to "keep pushing," and to "stay on the course no matter what." While it is good to persist, there is still a very fundamental wisdom that you should not neglect. This wisdom is; not all the roads lead to the same destination. There are times that the wisest decision to make may not be to keep moving but to know when to change course and when to make a u-turn. Changing direction wisely is not a mark of weakness, neither does it should failure, but it makes you to arrive at your destination.

You cannot arrive at a right destination if you have been on the wrong direction. That is, you cannot go from the wrong way to the right destination. This also happens in other aspects of life. If you do not get it right with the processes or the methods, you may not get it right with the result. One of the reasons why some people miss the result is not because they are not lucky, but because they miss the direction. It is wisdom to know when to change direction. Trust me, a lot of the things you wish or even pray about can easily be delivered by knowing the right thing to do and following the right direction. This is having clarity of action.

It is true that life is full of choices, but another truth is that not all the choices you make may be right. You can make a choice, maybe a choice of relationship, career, lifestyle, habit, etc. It may seem like it is going well with you, but on the long run, you may discover that it is draining your value, your peace, and your purpose. If you continue on that path just to prove consistency, then it may become a costly mistake. You do not have to prove consistency by remaining on the wrong track. Continuing on the wrong track does not show that you are strong, it actually shows that you are stubborn.

To change direction when you are wrong requires courage and humility. Humility to know when you are wrong, and courage to make the right turn. When you realise that something is not working, then there is no wisdom in continuing in it. Always ask yourself this question "will continuing on this track lead to the right destination?" It is from the honest answer that you give to yourself that will help you to determine if you are making progress or you are just advancing in futility. Making a u-turn may cause you a temporary discomfort, but it will save you from a lifetime of regret.

It is worthy to note that making a u-turn does not completely erase the entire journey you have had before. The lessons you have learnt, the experiences, the mistakes, and the corrections, are not wasted, but they will become part of what will prepare you to make the most out of your right journey. They will also sharpen your judgement, enhance your perception, deepen your empathy, and strengthen you for more resilience. You were not the one who failed, it was just the journey that failed. So make the required turn and then make it right.

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