The Staircase Effect

This morning as I was praying about this post, I was reminded of my first position as a school leader.  I worked in a comprehensive high school with lots of stairs. Each set of stairs had a color, so it was really important to know which set of stairs to take in case of an emergency. All day long, I traveled up and down stairs — up green and down blue — up yellow and down red. Though all those steps helped me to stay fit, going up one more set of stairs seemed like a Herculean task by the end of a busy day — at which point I needed a better strategy for getting upstairs or an elevator.

That feeling you get when you’re at the bottom of the stairs looking up can be overwhelming — especially if you just came downstairs or you have a huge basket of laundry to carry upstairs. I call that The Staircase Effect. That’s the feeling we sometimes get when we begin vision casting or are well on our way toward the vision and get stuck.

Knowing exactly where you are and noting why you’re there is essential to taking the next step. If you’re stuck because you’ve run out of steam, note it and do what you need to do for yourself. For instance, I sometimes get stuck because I’m mentally or physically exhausted. I note it, and I take a nap (if that’s what will help me). If I just need to turn in early so that I’m refreshed tomorrow, that’s what I do. There’s no shame in tapping out temporarily — as long as you get back up and go toe-to-toe with your obstacles.

If you visualize your goals toward your vision as steps, you’ll realize that you can only take one step at a time without hurting yourself.  Taking two at a time might get you there a little faster, but at what cost? Be S.M.A.R.T when goal setting. Know exactly what you want, know exactly where you are, and set realistic goals that will get you there one step at a time.

As always, I’ll see you back here next Wednesday with another coaching tip. If you haven’t yet subscribed to my blog, do it today. Never miss a post! You weren’t meant to navigate this world alone. We are so much Better Twogether.

Note – If this post resonates with you, kindly scroll down to the comments and share your experience with me.