Encyclopedia Britannica describes a gyroscope as “a device containing a rapidly spinning wheel or circulating beam of light that is used to detect the deviation of an object from its desired orientation.” Gyroscopes are used in compasses and automatic pilots on ships and aircraft, in the steering mechanisms of torpedoes, and in the inertial guidance systems installed in space launch vehicles, ballistic missiles, and orbiting satellites.

Although I do not have a spinning wheel inside my brain, I certainly know that I have a desired orientation. I’m aware of my ideal Point B. I also know that as much as I have this desired orientation, I frequently find myself on a path that doesn’t seem to be leading directly toward the intended target.

This is common, because the path to success is rarely linear. There are bumps and detours, distractions and obstacles, pauses and blind turns…and we’re continuously side-stepping, making mistakes, and getting knocked around.

As I am pursuing success in my relationships, business, fitness, and other areas of my life, I find that it can be discouraging – and downright infuriating – when I realize I am not on a perfect path toward my goals. I can be so critical at times that my focus emphasizes the frustration of the present rather than highlighting the possibility of the future. I have to remind myself often of some of the key things that I have learned in order to reach a successful future:

1. Adjustments are part of the process. Perfection is not attainable. Slight, frequent, deliberate course-corrections are crucial to stay on track. This requires, among other things, clarity of the long-term vision and a mechanism for determining our location and heading in relation to that goal.
2. Daily recalibration (assessment) is necessary. Research shows that it takes somewhere between 21 and 255 uninterrupted repetitions of a behavior to create a habit. As we develop our desired habits it will take daily discipline and truthful evaluation to continue to make progress.
3. Short-term choices must line up with long-term vision. We have to continue to ask the question, “Does this choice now, multiplied many times over, lead to my long-term goal?” This can be a tough question to wrangle, because we do a lot of things that provide immediate satisfaction but fall short of the long-range success metric.
4. Urgency is crucial. If the outcome is truly important to us, we must act like it is. We must corral the emotion and desire of the future goal to fuel our daily, persistent pursuit of what matters most. “The diet starts tomorrow” just won’t work. Do it now.
5. Start with why. Any goal worth striving for must have a deep-rooted, strong foundation. In order to maintain motivation, we must be genuinely and meaningfully connected to this purpose to help us through the inevitable rough patches.

In my coaching role, I encounter individuals who struggle with these elements all the time. One particular client was interested in completing a marathon for the first time. She had never run more than 15 miles when I started working with her. Early on we identified some form corrections she needed to make to be more efficient. She would complain daily about the difficulty of running in this new way (#1 above). On every run, she had to think about how her feet were landing – slight, frequent changes mile after mile after mile. We would talk about how to meet her marathon goal she needed to continue to put in not just training miles, but intentional training miles (#3 above).

Gyroscopes are fabulous tools for assisting in navigation from Point A to Point B. Metaphorically, you have a gyroscope you can access to help steer you along your journey.

Every week or so, she would tell me she wanted to go back to her old form, but I continued to encourage her to be confident that things would come around. Finally, after about 4 months she was elated to tell me that she hadn’t thought about the changes we made when we first started for two whole weeks. She had built a new habit (#2 above)! 9 months before her marathon and 2 years before she ultimately went on to run the Boston Marathon, she was persistent in making her running efficiency the highest priority (#4 above).

You see, in high school she quit her high school track team because an assistant coach told her that she just wasn’t cut out for running. So at 40 years old, this mom of 2 used finishing a marathon to truly prove to herself that she could do something that she always believed she couldn’t (#5 above).

Your turn

What is it you want? What are your goals, your ambitions, your priorities? Define what you want – with great clarity – and why you want it. Set the big goal and work backwards from there, using these questions as a reflective guide:

1. Why is this so important to you? How can you keep that deep-rooted reason in the forefront of your mind, enabling you to focus and persist?

2. What matters most in this pursuit? What are the most important actions you must make sure you take every day, no matter how hectic or tired or difficult the day may be?

3. What habits are you creating? How can you make sure you maintain the self-discipline to continue to build those helpful habits? Who might help you in this journey?

4. How will you assess your progress along the way? What metrics will you use to determine your success?

5. When you sense you are getting out of alignment with your desired orientation, how quickly are you willing to make a course-correction? And what are you willing to change in order to meet your goals?

Excellence isn’t a sprint; it’s about endurance. Whether you’re mastering a skill, growing as a leader, learning something new, or working toward being a better version of yourself in any of a thousand ways, Just like training for a marathon, you’ve got to take it one day at a time. Use your inner gyroscope to keep you on track until you reach your goals.

Derek Garcia is a former professional triathlete, a personal trainer, and an incredibly good human being. He’s been a friend and colleague of Pete Hall’s for many years.

Pete Hall is the President/CEO of Strive Success Solutions. You can reach him via email at Pete@StriveSS.com.