by Steven Timmons, DTM

Have you ever taken a hike or walked a trail? Most of us have. You are usually following a path that was blazed by someone before you and it is easier than walking there for the first time.

However, even a well laid out trail has its pitfalls, and you can easily find that you have lost your way, even in today’s advanced technology. Here are five signs you might be straying off the beaten path.

1. You have not taken time to set your objective

Every journey should begin with one simple question. What is my objective? Without that simple piece of knowledge, you are already lost. Take time to study and plot your course, set your goals, and determine how you will make the most of your time spent on your journey.

2. You have been here before.

You set out on a journey and immediately realize you have already covered that trail. However, consider that every journey is its own unique experience. For example, I could set out on a trail five different times, early morning, late morning, midday, early evening, and late evening. The fact is the same trail would result in five different experiences even on the same day!

3. You are not tracking your progress

Tracking our journey is critical. Would you get in your car to go to the local grocery store without even sub-consciously checking off landmarks and reference points along the way? Of course not; you want to get there. Whether you realize you are doing it or not you are tracking your progress. When working a path, you need to  monitor what you are doing, experiencing, and learning. If you wait until you arrive to track your progress, you might find that you never made it in the first place. Track your progress along your journey.

4. You have not corrected your course

This goes hand in hand with Step #3, tracking your progress. You start driving to your local grocery store and realize you are heading in the wrong direction. What do you need to do? Correct your course and get back on track. If you are not tracking your progress, then it is very likely you will not realize that you are lost until it is too late. Be sure you are working iterations of steps 3 and 4 to benchmark yourself against what you set out to accomplish in step 1. This will give you the fullest experience from your path.

5. You are listening to the negative voices

Yes, I have heard it all. This plan stinks, blah, blah, blah. Many of the people saying those things have not given it a chance to succeed in the first place. Therefore, they are not authorities you should rely upon. You will often find that your mindset towards something controls the outcome more than anything else.

6. Bonus: You are walking alone

I find a great deal of added value by having a buddy on the trail. They see things you would completely miss and vice versa. We have all experienced driving down the road on a long trip and seeing  something out of the corner of our eye that the others missed completely. Take a buddy and make your pathways experience so much the better for everyone.

Maybe as you reach this point in the article, you think, wow…, these are all simple considerations, and you expected a mumbo jumbo magic formula.  Remember, it is often the most common of things that ruin the experience. Carefully consider these six steps and I know you will enjoy your path that much more.