“I would like to say something about the secret of the path. You advance on your path by leaving everything from before behind, even your old insights. But there is something more about the path. You reach the goal with the last step. Everything before that is simply preparation.” — Bert Hellinger
I love this secret. That is why I would like to repeat its final part:
“You reach the goal with the last step. Everything before that is simply preparation.”
Discouragement on the journey toward achieving our goals often stems precisely from a misunderstanding—the belief that the goal should be reached sooner, when in fact it is only attained with the last step. Yet, what makes that final step possible are all the steps taken before it. Much like a peak we have been climbing for a long time, we conquer it without doing anything different from what we were doing before—simply by walking our path. The only difference is that the time has finally come to enjoy the view from the height and the efforts made up to that point.
Regarding psychological processes, the situation is the same, but because they are internal and more elusive, it is harder for us to see it. Furthermore, when it comes to walking the “narrow and steep path” (individuation), the journey is much longer. It is so long that we often despair and reproach ourselves for not having achieved anything yet.
So, if you have been walking your path for a long time but have not yet reached your goal, here is a small secret of the Path: we reach the goal with the last step. Everything before it was preparation for that moment.
You may also find it interesting to read this story on the same topic: The Third Gardener.
Kameliya Hadzhiyska
