One of the greatest hindrances to our personal development and spiritual growth is difficulty in knowing how we’ll get from where we are now to where we envision ourselves being. Especially when we think in terms of linear, step-by-step progression it can be difficult to imagine we’ll ever arrive at our highest ideals of personal triumph.

The truth is we rarely travel in a straight line or through a series of small, sequential steps when it comes to our greatest breakthroughs.

In the same way the electron vanishes from its orbit around the atomic nucleus and then reappears far ahead on the path, we also make great quantum leaps as we shift into new states of consciousness and spiritual clarity. Certainly hard work is part of every success story, but consider this question:

Looking back at your greatest victories and most exciting attainments, is it not accurate to say that you leapt across great distances in a single, spontaneous bound?

Perhaps you worked hard toward a goal for some time but found yourself hitting a wall or reaching a plateau. From this stopping point you were unable to progress; the same effort that previously yielded results no longer moved you forward. In such instances you reached the end of your current spiritual maturity, and were unable to continue along the path until you grew beyond certain limitations or prejudices.

Then seemingly out of nowhere your eyes were opened to a new paradigm; you saw yourself and/or the world from a slightly different perspective and in the blink of an eye your whole reality changed. Without taking a single step you suddenly stood miles ahead of your previous position.

Examples from my own life are plentiful now that I understand the natural process some call the quantum leap. I no longer labor under the delusion that my hard work and continued effort is what carries me toward my desired experiences.

I enjoy each moment, doing the work at hand but knowing that my success, enlightenment, and bliss will expand in unison with my spirit. As I grow emotionally and spiritually so does my income and my ability to embrace new and challenging adventures.

I toiled and struggled for nearly two years when I first decided I’d like to work from home and release my obligation as an employee. It seemed no matter how hard I worked or how well I organized my plans, the money refused to flow.

Then suddenly, one October day in 2005 I experienced a flash of realization. I saw something that had surely been right in front of me for some time, but that I previously could not see because my vision was too narrow. I never returned to my day job and since that day my business has grown and evolved and my life has taken an amazing new direction.

The same story template can be applied again and again to many aspects of my life. My outer results reflect my inner growth, and great change comes in the form of quantum leaps that take me from one point to another without the hassle of each individual step.

It’s important not to get hung up on the linear roadmap and to simply accept both the moment and our ideal vision of life. We can live fully in the now while playfully entertaining our highest desires.

If we are true to spirit and remain in alignment with our purpose and our true values, progress and accomplishment will look after themselves. Trust yourself and the flow of life, be grateful for your multitude of blessings, and act from a genuine desire to contribute; you will always find yourself in the right place.