One my favorite books is by Pastor Andy Stanley called ‘The Principle of the Path”. In it, he puts forth a principle that seems simple – but is actually revolutionary. It’s this:

Direction – not intention – determines destination.

Think about that. Your direction – the path you are currently on right now – will ultimately determine your destination in life. So if you kept doing the things you are currently doing right now every day, where do you these things will lead you in 5 years?

If you keep going in the direction you’re going right now – where will you ultimately end up? Is it somewhere you’ll be happy with?

This is a revolutionary idea because most of us are told today that it’s our intention that really matters.

• As long as we intend to spend more time training.
• As long as we intend to start saving someday.
• As long as we intend to start our diet on Monday.

As long as we intend to do good things – we’ll ultimately get there someday. But that’s not the truth. The truth is this:

It’s what we are currently doing (our direction) every day that ultimately determines where we end up.

So if I’m choosing to eat a dozen donuts every day, it doesn’t matter if I have all the plans in the world to work out and look like a fitness model. I’ll still end up looking like a guy who eats a dozen donuts every day – and nothing more.

If this seems a bit depressing to you, don’t worry. The great thing about life is that you can always start over. You can always change the path that you’re on. And the principle of the path is a powerful one that always gets you results.

So for example, let me ask you some questions:

If you decided to train in your martial art for an hour or two every day without fail – how far do you think you’d be in a year? Two? Five? Would you be a black belt? Would you have your own school?

If you decided to invest 10% of your paycheque every month, where would you be in a year? Five years? Ten years? Would you be able to retire early? Start your own business and work for yourself? Buy a dream car or take a dream vacation?

If you decided to read one book per week (or month) about your chosen profession, how far in your career would you be in a year? Two years? Five? Head of the company? CEO? In demand as a speaker or sales trainer?

If you decided to eat healthy 95% of the time, where do you think you’d be in a month? A year? Thin, fit and healthy? Full of energy?

It really makes you think doesn’t it? Hopefully it gets you excited about where you actually could go in life.

By practicing this simple principle – the principle of the path every day, you’ll reach your goals faster, you’ll go further and you’ll be amazed to see how much you can really do in this life!