Recently, I have seen several articles about the benefits of traveling directly to your goal rather than taking the longer meandering path. And for some people, that straight line is the best path. Clearly, the straight line is the shorter journey, but not all of us are cut out for the short journey. I know that in my case, I was a slow learner. It took me several decades of working hard before I gained the proper respect and appreciation for working smart.
Also, I am clearly a believer that we all need to find our own path, so even a straight line might differ from person to person. None of us begin at the same point, nor do we have the same objective, so the endpoint will be different. And for others, such as myself, we need to do a lot of living before we are ready to be rewarded with reaching a major life goal.
Some people are blessed with an understanding and the ability to see a variety of perspectives at a very young age. Others need to really see life from the top, bottom and even sideways before grasping that life is a very complex thing, and that we need to allow others the opportunity and benefit of making their own way in this world. Certainly, we should offer a hand when another person is in need, but even when offering help, we do not have the right to demand that he or she take a certain action or make a decision just to please us.
Then there are those who have tunnel vision and know what they want right out of the gate. Sometimes they are headed to a goal that will change the world and other times, they just knew instinctively that their time here would be short. The point is, that there is no perfect answer for everyone, other than each of us needs to discover our own personal perfect answer. But regardless of how or when you reach your goal, celebrate your success! All that matters is the achievement, not the path, or the time on track. And even if no one is there at that very moment to shake your hand or give you a hug, look in a mirror and smile back at yourself with satisfaction and pride. It is only the opinion of that person who is looking back at you in the mirror that really matters.