My Walk on El Camino de Santiago: One Step at a Time

If you read our last newsletter, you know that I recently made the walk at El Camino de Santiago, which begins at Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, and travels 500 miles through four of Spain’s 15 regions, ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. It wasn’t the leisurely walk that I had been lead to believe it would be and I contemplated bailing on the whole thing and going home midway through. It’s a huge undertaking when you look at the entire length of the walk and the amount of time it takes to complete it. It’s overwhelming.

So why did I keep going? How did I keep going?

I began to look at the journey as a series of steps rather than the entire pilgrimage. One step equals quite a lot. If I focused on taking one step and then the next, I would be able to move ahead. If I became caught up in the enormity of the entire walk, I’d get disheartened and want to quit.

We can get so bogged down with all of the things we have to do in order to reach future goals. What I know from the things I have accomplished in my life (from finishing my formal education, to becoming an entrepreneur, to learning how to golf) is that we only ever have this one moment and this one step at a time.

Think about what life would be like if we all enjoyed the journey more. We might slow down, take time to reflect and decide what is important to us and then have the strength and courage to make those things better, remembering that we can only ever take one step at a time. Every day can bring a chance to do something in relation to your goals. Taking one step can change your life and take you from average to great. Everything is possible for those who believe and put in consistent effort.

Don’t just do the same things day after day–do something different! Time passes either way, so make the choice to strive for greatness and live life on your own terms. Open your mind to the reality that there are no limits.

It is also important to know that not every step is equal.  I stumbled quite a few times on the walk at El Camino. Some steps aren’t easy–they might even be in the absolute wrong direction. It’s OK and to be expected. It can be an uphill walk; some steps are hard and some are painful. It’s a messy path, but the idea is to keep stepping. Enjoy what you encounter along the way.

The finish line isn’t the point. Enjoy the journey!