The JOURNEY, The STEPS, and The TOP

“The Climb to the Top may not be Worth Its Steps”

Goal...Target...Aspiration...Ambition.

Call it what you want but everyone has it in one form or another. That’s what you aim for – the Top – and how you get there are the Steps. The Top can be as numerous as individuals; the Steps, on the other hand, are few but more or less common to everyone.

What are some of these Steps? Let me cite a couple:

1. Deprivation
Are you forgoing something of value for the sake of getting that which you desired to achieve? If your answer is affirmative, then you are making sacrifices.

2. Discipline
Are you submitting yourself to a system of rules and training? If you are, then it is apparent that you consider it essential in your pursuit of reaching the Top.

Some may consider it essential to engage in office politics, be a team player, or make themselves indispensable as significant steps toward what they aspire for. These are harmless in themselves and may even be seen as commendable when done ethically and with proper attitude. An employee who intends to climb up the corporate ladder for instance, may find that being a team player is critical and providing added value to the firm is a solid step moving up.

When then is the climb to the Top not worth its Steps? From a purely professional perspective, when our journey towards our goal leads us to disregard uncompromising work ethics, or when the Top becomes an obsession to the detriment of camaraderie.

From the vantage point of a Christian, the Steps, the Journey, and the Top, as a whole is seen through the lens of God’s Will. The Top must be God-ordained and for His glory; the Journey embarked by faith and obedience; and , the Steps Spirit-led and consistent with Christian virtues and graces as revealed in God’s word .