The Principle Of The Path

Insight 79 | There aren’t many “new” things one can say about how to prepare and proactively go into a “new” year. Every January is filled to the brim with advertisements promising proven methods for attaining your goals and secrets to success that will surely work for you this time around.

I am not here with any of those. Instead, I’d like to bring to your attention something old and forgotten—a simple but reliable formula for getting where you want to go. It’s something I learned years ago, and it has never steered me wrong.

Coined by Pastor Andy Stanley, founder and senior pastor of North Point Ministries, this short sentence is guaranteed to fundamentally reshape how you approach goals.

Allow me to introduce you to The Principle Of The Path:

Direction—not intention—determines our destination

The Principle of the Path puts into words the annoying reality that no matter how much we wish, think about, or even pray for our goals, hopes, dreams, ambitions, and callings, it does not matter if we are heading in a completely different direction from what we are telling ourselves is the aim.

See, it's irrelevant how well-intentioned we are about doing something; if we don't do it, it doesn’t get done. It's like saying you want to go one way while facing the other; it's counterproductive.  I suppose you could say that when it comes to life, it really isn’t the thought that counts. And yet, every January we fill our minds and to-do lists with the BEST of thoughts and intentions. 

Motivational Posters - Check ✅

Aspirational Thinking - Check ✅

An Accountability Partner - Check ✅

But two weeks, those check marks start to fade away, we get back to our jobs, life goes on as it always has, and we’re left in the swell of what's always been. Why? Because we had the right idea but missed the right actions to go with it. 

There aren't many one-size-fits-all sayings, but The Principle Of The Path is one of the few that, no matter how you spin it, always rings true. In the coming few weeks, this simple little saying will prove itself time and time again, regardless of how hard you try, how early you wake up, or how clean you eat. One way or the other, the general direction you head will be the sole determinant of where you end up.

Now, there are two profound truths here.

The first is that when your feet begin to stray and your steps drift farther and farther away from the intended line of action, it may lead to a radical shift in where you end up. After all, a ship off by one degree will land hundreds of miles away from where it wanted to go; this law of slight deviation is bound up within the Principle Of The Path. It explains how consistent minor deviations compound to create massive separation. 

It’s a reality to be cautious and aware of, as if we aren't careful, we might wake up some time from now to a life we don’t even recognize.

But there is a second truth here, one that is very beautiful: the opportunity for realignment. If in half a month, you realize you bit off more than you can chew, don’t worry, don’t throw it all away and say you’ll try harder next year. Instead, reassess and realign, and above all, don't give up.

See, if it's “direction” that determines destination, all you have to do is change your orientation and try again. If you notice yourself drifting, tighten your rope and bring yourself back to the path. As long as you're constantly moving in the right direction, with regular and calculated stops for course correction, those movements must compound over time to become a greater achievement!

It’s a double-edged sword for living an intentional and God-fufilling life.

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I can’t speak on your behalf, but personally, I am not signing up for 2006 without a clear understanding of its terms and conditions. While complete certainty is never guaranteed, I want to know at least that the year we are stepping into is one where passivity won’t define us. The systems we build and the people we choose to do life with are all set up to bring us closer to where God has been leading us, not farther away.

The only way to do that is to have a clear, profound understanding of the direction we hope to go and the actual steps we are taking to get there. Intention is nice, but it's the action that makes all the difference. 

We don’t need another promotional course or a guru’s promise; we only need to remember a simple life fact that works every time. This year, remember The Principle Of The Path and its double-edged truth: 

Direction—not intention—determines our destination

A degree of change in direction can entirely change your destination. But it also means you can always change course if and when you choose. 

Cheers to what's to come. 🥂

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta

P.S. When working towards your resolution this year, remember to Kill Your Darlings. Don’t try to do “too many” things, hone in on two or three worthy aims, and really nail those down. Remember, “your focus needs to be more-focus”! On the same note, be careful not to set goals that are either too far above your realistic reach or so low that they are formalities instead of challenges. Consider the three most common reasons why most don’t reach their goals and work to fortify yourself accordingly. See you in 2026 ;)

Sources:

Consider Your Direction Carefully: Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. - Proverbs 4:24-26

You Reap What You Consistently DO: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. -  Galatians 6:7–8

Action And Prayer Go Hand In Hand: Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. - James 1:22

Caution! Drifting Is Common: Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. - Hebrews 2:1