I was told success was linear.

Set the goal.

Make the plan.

Follow the steps.

Progress in a straight line.

Turns out, theboss doesn’t draw in straight lines.

The path isn’t straight.

It’s not clean.

It’s not obvious.

It doubles back.

Loops around.

Pauses.

Accelerates.

Stalls.

Skips steps.

Then circles the same lesson again.

The squiggly line isn’t an occasional setback.

It’s the experience.

I mistake the highlight reel

for the process.

I watch the players

and think it looks easy.

I confuse my observations as part of the audience

with the reality of the experience of the players.

The line looks messy from the inside.

Confusing.

Uncertain.

Full of pivots and failures

and lessons disguised as setbacks.

Success is a pattern of returning to the next right move.

Again and again.

The loop of mistaking progress requiring polish.

Believing the story is supposed to have a certain shape.

What helps me change is remembering:

I’m not behind.

I’m in the squiggle.

This is what success looks like from the inside.

The squiggly line is the path to success.