Do you have persistence and resilience in your life? How often do you quit to start over on something else? How often do you stay resolute, no matter how hard the path is, to the end?
In the article Living Life At The Tip Of Your Nose I discussed the importance of lifting your vision so you could see more of your journey, and be more prepared for the challenges and opportunities life presents you. There’s another reason to keep your vision lifted that I didn’t even know about when I wrote that article. That reason is shown in the Helsinki Bus Theory.
A quick summary of the Theory is that all buses leave the same station and proceed along the same route for the first three stops. At that point, they diverge to follow their specific routes. Consider that the bus station and route are your life. And further, if you consider each bus stop to be a year apart you can get a picture of your path.
Everybody starts at the same point and take the same path for the first three years of their path before they start to diverge into their special direction. If you get off the bus to return to the bus station to try a different bus, you end up at the same place the first three years. If you get off the bus again to repeat return the station again to try yet a different bus you, again follow the same path for three years.
You are getting off the bus too soon. You aren’t getting to your special destination. It’s only when you stay on the bus for many stops do you have a chance of finding your special place where you can get off the bus and be in a place that you can make your own.
The notion is that initially, you are seeming to copy those who have gone before you and not forging your own path. Consider that sameness of path to be your training ground so that you can become the person you are meant to be or to develop the career/passion/mission you are meant to express. If your vision is too short, you’ll keep repeating the routine of getting off the bus too soon and not making it anywhere that’s meant to be you. It’s only when your vision is lifted that you can see that by sticking it out, you will find your place in the world.
How often have you gotten off your bus too soon? Maybe you are staying on for longer than three stops. Maybe you are staying on the bus for five or eight stops and are starting to develop your own style, and you still get off the bus too soon — and going back to the bus station to start again. Lift your vision! Stay. On. The. Bus!
The getting off the bus before you’ve reached the end of that route is a reflection of your lack of resilience and persistence. That doesn’t serve you in life. You are shorting yourself on your potential. You are shorting the world on your gifts.
Having the conviction of your dreams will serve you in staying the course. Recognizing it can take years, decades even, of hard work will help you persevere until you reach your goal or dream. Remember to celebrate the small wins along the way. Each milestone, or bus stop, deserves a celebration to help keep you motivated and moving forward.
If you need help with this, that’s part of what I do in my coaching.
Lift your vision. Stay the course. You’ll be glad you did.