The Necessary Steps – ElPropósito4 min de lectura

Getting from point A to point B takes a series of steps. What are they?

Photo by Lindsay Henwood on Unsplash

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Lao Tzu). Every day of the year matters. There’s no better day or better month for anything. Either we take the steps or we don’t move forward. One of the first pieces of advice at the start of a marathon (if the example works) is that almost every runner goes out faster than the pace they trained at. That alone makes it likely they won’t finish unless they notice and slow down right away. Slowing down, of course, brings all kinds of thoughts, above all the fear of falling behind everyone else.

Sound familiar at the start of the year, as we fight for our goals? Instant gratification and the speed we live at have made us impatient for results. We forget that while some results come as "quick wins," many depend on countless variables (not all of them up to us). The best things we can hold in our hands, or whatever we find truly beautiful, took time (diamonds are a clear example).

Is it okay to skip a step one day? Of course. The problem is skipping the next day too, and the day after, until things fade away. Much of the merit of consistency lives outside the days of great inspiration. A new vision of ourselves is forged in the hardest moments, when we doubt whether a step is even worth taking. In times of reluctance, distress, anxiety and fear we find an extremely positive energy inside. In those moments I like to recall a phrase that stayed with me when we lost our second son, Juan Diego: "This too shall pass."

Are all the steps necessary? My immediate answer is yes, even though some along the way aren’t aligned with our purpose in life. Still, the urge to stop is always there. Why? Sometimes I see it as a matter of energy (stopping is easier than thinking and pushing), and usually we stop out of fear: unfounded fears and self-fulfilling prophecies born of baseless thoughts whose only effect is to block our ability to see clearly and stay calm.

A journey without storms isn’t a journey. It isn’t real. Life is full of ups and downs, whether we want them or not. That’s the essence of existence, and it’s in our power to find ways to bring some order to it. When we try to order our steps we push against the very nature of life, which is why we meet all kinds of resistance, even from within. Every step is necessary on the road to what we long for, and all of them matter when we’re walking the path of our purpose. It’s perfectly normal to take steps aligned with nothing (even those count), because sooner or later we’ll want to correct course. That’s why our trajectory will always show how close or how far we are from what we want.

How many steps have you taken, how many will you take, and what would keep you from stopping for anything or anyone?

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA (what I was Watching, Listening to, Reading and Learning):

• Watching: Stories of a Generation with Pope Francis. A great Netflix series that, thank God, I came across to start the year. I recommend it 100%. Every episode is good: love, work, dreaming and more.
• Listening to: Slaying the Dragon With Us. From Jordan Peterson’s podcast, which I’ve set out to hear episode by episode. This one stood out because of the story behind the dragon. It’s worth a listen.
• Reading: Buffettology. I’m starting the year with a great book, a gift from my friend, brother and travel companion of every kind, Augusto Cordón. Thanks, man.
• Learning: This ties in with my reading, Buffettology, because there’s so much to learn from it, especially insights that challenge the conventions of traditional investing.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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