Eyes on the Course: Why Direction Matters More Than Goals

Why direction matters more than pace, and what happens when you stop chasing outcomes and start trusting the course. Best suited for founders, creatives, and anyone stuck between progress and doubts.

Few things in life unfold the way we imagine. For better or worse, the journey always has a way of surprising us. We set the course, we mark the goals, and we build the checkpoints to track our progress. But what do you do when you don't get there?

Picture this: it's a beautiful summer day, and you're kayaking in Boston Harbor, your little vacation after a day of work. You're in the moment, your body paddling with the music of the Foo Fighters in your ears, until you decide it's time to head back home.

When you turn, to your surprise, the ocean has turned into big, breathing waves that push you further and further into the open. You've gone too far.

The coastline is in front of you, a stretched line separating the blue of the sky from the blue of the water. You start paddling again, over and over, and after a while, nothing changes except getting alarmingly tired.

It’s just you, your little kayak, the waves growing grayer and more menacing, your shorts, a life jacket, and a cell phone in a waterproof container. It’s 7:00 p.m., and the light is slowly dimming to give way to the evening.

What would you do?

That happened to me years ago. A surge of anxiety bubbled for a few minutes until I realized that pushing harder would have depleted my energy and put my life at serious risk, getting lost in the Atlantic Ocean in a small kayak at night.

For whatever reason, perhaps pure instinct or a watchful whisper from above, I turned and watched the gurgling trail of bubbles rise as the stern sliced the water. I might have had the impression that nothing was happening or, even worse, that I was going backward. My senses couldn't pick up the progress, but I was moving.

I changed my strategy. I slowed down my breathing and strokes, pacing myself to a sustainable rhythm, pushing decisively but not too hard.

Thirty minutes later, I reached the first islet in Boston Harbor. I got off and stretched. At least I was on solid land, where I could have spent the night, but by 11:00 p.m., I figured I might be on the news with a Coast Guard helicopter searching for an overdue kayaker.

So I set a new course over shame, hopped back into my little boat, and paddled to the next islet. Then the next. And the next. In just over two hours, the worst was behind me, and I made it home.

That experience is still with me, almost every day.

I've thought about what could have happened if I had fully panicked, if I hadn't pivoted my approach and kept pushing as hard as I could on the paddles until every drop of energy and hope vanished.

I got lucky, that's for sure. An undercurrent could have swept me to the open sea; a whale could have capsized my kayak; a shark could have gotten curious. The truth is, it was a mix of shifting conditions and staying as calm as possible.

That summer adventure of mine comes up every time I'm pursuing something I care about, and somehow, I find myself in open water; as a small entrepreneur, that often happens when I try different strategies and tactics. We all know that doing business isn't a straight line but rather a learn-as-you-go kind of thing.

Goals are signposts, not destinations because it's their nature to move, shift and evolve. What matters is the course, the 'North Star,' that steady energy underneath the goal, keeping us anchored even when outcomes disappoint, or plans collapse.

People often fixate on goals, but those who stay sane and centered focus less on endpoints and more on the rhythm of the path itself. That’s the difference between keeping your eye on the course and the goal.

Direction Matters More Than Goals

Outstanding achievements fill the lives of ambitious people. And yet, in conversation after conversation with clients, the same deeper doubt surfaces. What if the goals I’ve been chasing never really belonged to me? What if I’ve spent years following someone else’s idea of success without ever asking if it matched the direction I wanted to go?

When I get exhausted or too rigid in execution, when my body and thoughts lock into black-and-white patterns, I check my goals. I ask if they still serve the course. Because sometimes the goals shift, and that’s not failure. That’s clarity. What I once believed had to be accomplished makes way for what’s actually aligned.

Here’s an example, which is also an announcement.

The only thing worth obsessing over is the course. And if that feels authentic and aligned with your core, shifts in pace, terrain, or outcome lose their power. You can always turn to the stern of your boat, watch the water break, and know you're still moving the right way.

PAUSE. LEARN. MOVE ON.

Research in motivation, entrepreneurship, and behavior change all point to the same truth: goals aren’t what keep people going. Direction is.

Psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, who developed the Self-Determination Theory, have shown that long-term motivation doesn’t come from chasing rewards but from staying aligned with what matters to you.

Saras Sarasvathy, who developed the Effectuation Theory, found that the most successful entrepreneurs don’t follow rigid plans but work with what they’ve got, stay flexible, and trust the next step to reveal itself.

You can reach Stephen at stephen@alygn.company.