“It’s always better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than at the top of the one you don’t.”

– Unknown

Image from Flickr by gosheshe.

A fundamental concept I refer to often in the process of coaching is “creative tension,” first described to me in Robert Fritz’s book The Path of Least Resistance. Stated simply, creative tension is the gap between the current reality and some desired vision for the future.

In the case of the quote above, someone at the bottom of the ladder is looking forward to taking each and every step to reach their desired summit. But for someone already at the top of the ladder they didn’t want to climb, there is simply nothing to look forward to – they are at a dead end with no hope or aspirations to drive them further.

Exercise:

To what extent are you climbing the ladders of life to your personal and professional peaks of achievement?

Where are you currently at the top of life’s ladders with nowhere to go?