The Hardest Part of a Thousand Mile Journey is NOT What You Think

Stephan J. Mathys
Nov 7 · 6 min read
image courtesy of BrainyQuote.com

Yes, it may begin with the first step. But it certainly doesn’t end there. And, in fact, it’s not even the most difficult.

A single step? That’s nothing.

That’s riskless.

That’s painless.

That’s immaterial.

And yet, we often throw this quote around like it’s some kind of metaphysical magic to get everyone to do whatever it is they were going to do anyway.

“Oh, you’ve got something hard to do? Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!”

As if that’s going to make the journey easier.

As if forgetting that was what’s keeping me from starting out.

As if it’s “all downhill from there” once you just “get started”.

And it’s bullshit.

The “Journey Of A Thousand Miles” Isn’t Hard

The actual journey isn’t all that complicated. Nor is it that difficult. A thousand miles? Walk a thousand miles? Pffft. We can do that in our sleep.

Blisters? Put a Band-Aid on it.

Cold? Add a sweater.

Hungry? Grab a Snickers.

Bored? Sing yourself a song.

No, the journey isn’t hard. At least, not physically.

The journey itself is not so demanding, not so intimidating, not so overwhelming.

It’s not they physical requirements necessary to put one foot in front of the other for 5,280,000 feet that make such a journey a non-starter for most people out there. Pretty much anyone could do that. One step at a time, you’ll get there.

No, the difficulty of the Thousand Mile Journey has nothing to do with the road, or the weather, or the people you’ll meet a long the way.

The most problematic part of the journey is something much less visible.

Much less tangible.

Much less solvable with things.

It’s Your Attitude

The first step, which, yes, begins your thousand-mile journey is actually quite easy.

You just…

Step.

Forward.

You step forward, once, and you take a look around. That’s the single step. Are you a thousand miles away?

Nope.

So, if you want to get to your Thousand Mile Destination, you have to keep going.

But, if you don’t want to, if you’re questioning your motives already and you’re scared and lonely and cold and hungry and you just want to go back into your comfortable cave and snuggle up with a hot mocha latte and some Netflix and a foot rub and your sweetie next to you, you can.

All you have to do is turn around and take one step back.

A single step.

Just one.

And you’re back to where you started.

Progress? Ha!

You see, that single step was so easy, so effortless, and so valueless because it didn’t really hurt to turn around and go back. You hadn’t even really made a difference in your journey, to take that first step.

So while it might have been the “first” step, it clearly wasn’t the “hardest”.

No, the hardest step of your Thousand Mile Journey is much further down the road.

Where do you think it is?

Is it twenty miles in, when you’ve got to stop for the night the first time, and you actually have to set up your tent all by yourself and make your own fire to stay warm and pull out your sleeping bag and lie down on the hard, cold ground and try to sleep but you can’t because you’re thinking of the rain, and the spiders, and the bears, and the wind, and everyone you left behind, and how stupid this is, and you shouldn’t have come, you’re a fool for even thinking you’re worthy of something like this, you’re quite stupid, you know, you should just pack it up and call a ride, you could be back home in under an hour, surely, and wouldn’t that be better than this miserable Hell you’re voluntarily subjecting yourself to right now?

Is it the next morning, when you wake up and your feet hurt and your knees hurt and your shoulders hurt and your back hurts and even your hair hurts, and now you’ve got to pack up a dew-covered tent so your pants get wet and your boots get wet and your hair gets wet and you aren’t really that rested anyway and you realize that you forgot your sunglasses and somehow even your tongue hurts and you realize you were biting it all day yesterday while you worried, and now that you’re back out on the trail you wonder just what in the world possessed you to think you could do this?

Is it ten days in when you’re finally in a rhythm, but it gets thrown off because you stepped off the trail for a moment to allow this group of mountain bikers coming the other way to go by, and when you did you stumbled across a branch and twisted your ankle, and now you’ve had to stop eight miles short of where you expected to today because of the pain and discomfort and you just wish the goddamn Advil would kick in already, and while you were beginning to have a good time with this a few days ago, now it’s starting to get boring, starting to get real, like, you’ve got two more months of this to go, and if you’re only going to make ten miles a day instead of fifteen because you’ve got this bad ankle, well, then, you’re going to run out of food and water before the end of the time and wouldn’t that be a bitch of a way to fail at this?

No.

No, the hardest part of your Thousand Mile Journey is none of those things.

Oh, those things are hard, don’t get me wrong.

They’re intimidating.

They sabotage your desire.

They sap your courage.

But they’re not the hardest part.

No, the hardest part is yet to come.

The Hardest Part of a Thousand Mile Journey is, Quite Simply, Mile 500

The 500th mile is, without a doubt, the most difficult mile of your experience.

And, in fact, it gets even worse. The last quarter-mile of that 500th mile (from miles 499.75 through 500) is going to be the most-difficult quarter-mile of your trip.

Even better, you know what the absolute hardest moment of it is?

That very last one, before you pass the 500 mile marker.

That single step.

One little pace.

Approximately 3 feet of distance. Going no more than an arm’s length.

And it’s the worst of them all.

Why?

Because…

Up to that point…

It’s been closer to go back than to finish the journey.

Just like that first step was so easy because if you didn’t like it you could just turn around and be home again, the first 499 miles are easier than the 500th, because it’s closer to go home than to continue to the end.

And once you’re at 500 miles, every step takes you closer to the finish than from the start.

It’s that 500th mile, then, that is the tough one.

That’s where you have to step up the mental game, against the doubting voices inside your head.

It’s shorter to go home.

Maybe. But I want to finish.

Nobody would know.

I would.

This is pointless.

Maybe that’s okay.

Even if you do this 500th mile, you still have 500 more to go! What a waste.

Not to me. I started this, I’m going to finish it. Everything else before here was easy, everything after this is going to be easy too. This is just a momentary mental hurdle.

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

That 500th Mile, Though…

That’s the killer.

If you can make it through that, you’re on your way.

You’ll be closer to your goal than the start.

You have less to go than you’ve already covered.

You’ll have bested the monsters within, and left them cowering, quivering, powerless.

You’ll be confident in your ability to persevere, to adapt, to overcome.

And…

You’ll have a great story.

Once you get to the finish line.

Don’t stop.

Don’t give up.

You’re almost there.

I can see it, just in the distance, looming out of the fog … MILE 500 …

It’s so close.

Reach out and touch it…

As you pass by, on your own thousand mile journey.

Blow it a kiss as you go, and turn your eyes back to the horizon before you.

Put one foot in front of the other.

Again and again and again.

And again.


Stephan Mathys is a writer, editor, and communications coach living in St. Louis, Missouri. His books are available on Amazon ( https://www.amazon.com/Predatory-Behavior-Stories-Stephan-James/dp/1790407931/) and ( https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Content-Marketing-Stephan-Mathys/dp/109353253X/)

Visit his websites at stephanjameswrites.com and sjmcopywriting.com, or send him an e-mail to stephan@sjmcopywriting.com.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade