The Most Important Step A Man Can Take
- JP | #Intangibl3
- Jan 25, 2018
- 2 min read
I recently finished the book Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. In the book one of the main characters, Dalinar Kholin, is trying to find out the answer to the question "What is the most important step a man can take?" If you haven't read the book, and you want to do so, you should be aware that this post has spoilers.
Ultimately, the answer to the question is revealed and just in time for Dalinar to rise to his feet and defeat his demons, so to speak. In a moment of true self acceptance, he becomes the man that he wasn't sure he could be and wins the day.
You might be wondering why this is important, or why you should give a shit. I'll be the first to admit that a fantasy novel is generally not the first place that one would turn to for life lessons. However, I have learned more than I can say from novels like this one. Sometimes its a completely new idea that I learn (new to me, at least), and sometimes its an idea that I've already been working with that is reformulated in just the right way to hit me powerfully.
That's what this was. The answer to this question was something I'd not only been wanting since beginning the book, but it was something I'd been subconsciously working on. I wasn't fully aware of my need here, but it became starkly visible once I read these lines:
"The most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it?
It's the next one. Always the next step, Dalinar."
You see, when the question first came up in the book my immediate answer was "the first one." That seemed to be the most logical answer to me, because the first step is, well, the first step. Nothing gets done without the first step; without the will to begin.
But I was, pleasantly, wrong. And when I saw that line in the book, when I saw that the most important step a man can take is the next one, it resonated deeply. It was an "Of course!" moment.
Of course the most important step is the next one. It's always the next one.
The first step is important, but before you start walking, the first step is the next step. Progress, improvement, is achieved one step at a time. It is a progression from who you are to who you want to be.
It was like when you've got a puzzle piece and you just can't figure out where it goes in the puzzle. It seems obvious now, but it wasn't so then.
The point of this is that no matter what, the most important thing you can do is take one more step. Regardless of what adversity you're facing or what pain you're feeling, take one more step. It could be that next step that takes you into the Promised Land.
Until next time,
Jon
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