The Grasshopper paid a visit yesterday and said, “You’ll know you’ve turned the corner when you stop going around in circles.”

How often do we delude ourselves that we are on a new path only to find ourselves back at the starting line?

The main way we do this is by chasing the horizon. We are looking at the far off destination, rather than the real estate that’s right in front of us.

The far off destination is a mirage; our current state of affairs is a reality. You can’t get there until you recognize you are here.

We start off on yet another new adventure to the “Land of Oz” without determining where we truly are.

It’s the “Join the gym” mentality.

“I’m woefully out of shape, so I will go to the place to get in shape.” That strategy has a high failure rate. Just for the record, gyms and health clubs work on the 75/25 principle. 75% of the people who join a health club won’t go back after 30 days. You may be surprised to learn that they get their yearly membership fee before you come to that realization.

The gym is chasing the horizon for most. Starting where you are is finding out what you can do here and now. In the case of physical fitness, what is the one, repeatable thing you can do on a regular basis from where you currently are? – Stretch? Walk? Breathe deeply for a few minutes in front of an open window?

Looking for the quick fix is a surefire way to find yourself chasing the horizon again. It’s walking in circles back to square one.

Turning the corner is a departure from the path you are on. If you don’t recognize you’re going around in circles, you’ll never depart from that path.

How do you recognize you’re on a circular path? – When something new resembles Déjà vu.

Does this path look like, walk like, or quack like a duck? If so, it’s probably a duck you’ve chased around in circles before.

The reason we encounter the same stumbling blocks over and over is because we don’t catalog our past adventures with them, and we forget what they look like when we see them again.

Looking at the big picture is tantalizing and overwhelming for most. Taking a snapshot of your current situation and contemplating it, will do more to move you forward than all the forward thinking you’ve employed in the past.

“Right here and right now” is the mantra, and taking baby steps is the strategy for turning the corner.

“I’ve finally figured it out” is the mindset that hangs around about as long as the enthusiasm generated at a pep rally.

Turning the corner doesn’t start with a declaration that you’re turning over a new leaf. It starts when you realize that you are walking the same path you were when you made that pronouncement before.

Turning the corner has little to do with what you say you are going to do and everything to do with the doing itself. It’s not a public announcement; it’s a private pilgrimage.

Write a book about it after you’ve done it, not before.

What one, small, repeatable thing can you do with ease that will head you off the beltway to the off-ramp? Find it and repeat it until it’s as natural as breathing, then move on to a new step.

In stock market parlance, turning the corner is taking the time to invest in slow, steady growth rather than attempting to time the market again.

You’ll know you are on your way to turning the corner when the horizon is in your rearview mirror.

All the best,

John

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