Growth is never a straight line. I learned this long ago while walking Te Araroa. One time in particular, we were stopped by a man who asked why we were going west when we wanted to go to Bluff. Bluff was south. He told us we were going the wrong way.
At the time, my friend and I were in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand, with our destination of Bluff still months away. We tried to explain to the man that despite Bluff being our ultimate destination, the path we followed didn’t go there in a straight line. He wasn’t having it and walked away, rolling his eyes at our supposed lack of navigation skills.
My friend and I carried on, laughing over how the man had no idea just how often the trail took us in every direction but directly south. The entirety of New Zealand is less than 1,500 km between the north and south tip. Te Araroa led us on a path of 3,000 km. Our goal was anything but a straight line.
Looking back, I think about how often we assume progress must be linear. We expect that success should be direct to the finish line — but in reality, growth is more like Te Araroa: winding back and forth, taking longer routes, and often making us feel lost even when we’re still heading in the right direction.
Facing Setbacks
This week I’ve been faced with many setbacks in my own journey of growth. It reminded me once again that the path to achieve a goal is never a straight stretch from A to B. There are always roadblocks and unexpected turns that force you to question if you really want to continue stepping forward.
I’m challenging you to keep going.
The Power of Keeping Promises to Yourself
One thing I am currently working on is keeping my own promises to myself. I truly believe that if we don’t uphold our word, then what is the point of saying anything?
I’ve realised that all too often, I am quick to break my own promises to myself and soften the blow with excuses of why I couldn’t do XYZ. On the surface, it seems harmless. But the damage runs deeper. Breaking promises to myself erodes the trust I have in my ability to follow through. And if I can’t trust myself with small commitments, how can I expect to trust myself with bigger goals?
My Struggle With Emotional Eating
This week, my struggle has been with maintaining a calorie deficit. I have a long-standing history of emotional eating, and this past week was especially heavy with stress. I felt overwhelmed, anxious, tired, and out of control.
I wanted to escape the discomfort. I wanted an easy dopamine hit. Maybe for you it isn’t food — maybe it’s scrolling endlessly in your phone, pouring another drink, or hitting snooze instead of getting up. Whatever it looks like, we all have our “comfort defaults.”
For me, that’s food. And I had promised myself that those days were behind me.
But I caved.
For four days in a row, I indulged in food for comfort. In the moment, it made everything feel better. But nothing was actually better. Nothing had changed. In fact, I’d made things worse. Not only was I still carrying the emotional strain, but now I had the reality of stepping backwards in my goal.
Purposefully.
I told myself, “It’s okay. Just a little bit of extra food. Just a temporary slip-up. I’ll make up for it with exercise later.”
News flash: I didn’t.
Choosing Who I Want to Become
Yesterday, I had to make a choice: continue down the road of my past self — emotionally eating to ease stress — or realign with the person I’ve been intentionally growing into.
Without a doubt, I wanted the latter. But it required something uncomfortable: facing the reality of my choices. I had to step on the scale.
My brain fought me with excuses. “Do it in the morning. Skip a few days. Don’t rub salt in the wound. Tonight’s weigh-in doesn’t count anyway.”
But if I wanted to grow, I had to confront my reality head-on. Growth requires truth. The scale was my mirror. If I wanted to get back on track, I had to know exactly where I was standing.
So, I stepped on.
The Hard Reality Check
It was worse than I thought. A whole 2 kg gained from four days of comfort eating.
The excuses started again, trying to shield me from shame. But I reminded myself: I needed this clarity. I needed to see why I created healthier coping mechanisms in the first place. I needed to face the truth so I wouldn’t continue down the path I’d been walking.
That was yesterday.
Choosing Again Today
Today, my brain is bouncing between shame from yesterday’s weigh-in and hope for how I will intentionally move forward.
The shame doesn’t serve me — but it’s there. Because I knew what I was doing. I said “fuck it” and did it anyway. And now I’m paying the consequences.
But here’s the truth: I’d much rather pay the consequences of keeping my promises to myself and reaching my goals than pay the consequences of breaking those promises.
Growth is never a straight line. Sometimes the twists and turns are obstacles in our way. Sometimes, we’re the ones stepping off the path.
But every day is another chance to choose.
Today, I’m choosing to step back on the path. Tomorrow, I’ll choose again.
What about you? The road may not be straight, but every step forward — no matter how messy — still counts.
