When you work on something really hard for really long time – you have learned a lot. But, you might not be achieving the goals you set out to achieve. Something near the end is holding you back from success; invisible and powerful.

Over time, it’s easy to loose track of your goals. To more accurately describe that process for me, I pursue my goals stubbornly, with each subgoal towards achieving a larger goal becoming its own journey. I enjoy the journey, and my ethics, my principles and imagination keep me oriented in that process.

Gandhi said “The means is indivisible from the ends”. This is one of my favorite sayings. I do not believe the ends justifies the means.

Sometimes I’ll make my goals too high intentionally, so I can learn more, push harder. But pursuing success does eventually create a point of intersection between your knowledge and your abilities. That maturation point can happen at a lot of different stages.

Sticking with your goal may will lead you to the familiar difficult point at the end, when everything gets really difficult. Then, all of a sudden you realize its only one thing holding you back, and it only requires you to admit you were wrong about something.

When building a chain of interdependent tasks, there will inevitably be a weak or unfinsihed link. A chain with 10,000 links breaks with one weak link, and it seems so hard to fix because it is hard to find. That’s why knowing and admitting when you are wrong is so valuable, as is getting rid of what you don’t really need in life. After this general milestone is passed, things get easier….