By Matthew Piling

About four minutes into The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (Part 1), there’s a moment that really stuck with me. Katniss is in an elevator with Commander Boggs. As they talk about everything that’s happened, the elevator descends toward an important meeting. When the doors open to a crowded concourse, they don’t pause. They don’t stop to assess the crowd or map out a route. They just step into the chaos and move forward. Katniss even glances upward, taking in her surroundings—not fixated on the goal or the obstacles, but just aware and in motion. It’s a short, simple scene, but for some reason, it spoke volumes to me.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned through studying the laws of Rare Faith is this: the most important thing we can do is focus on the feelings—the joy, the excitement—of already achieving the goal. Not the path to get there. As Leslie Householder says, it’s like focusing on a wall with no holes, instead of worrying about how to patch the hole in front of you. That might sound like a subtle difference, but it changes everything.

In that movie scene, Katniss and Boggs are headed for the stairs across the concourse. But if you trace their steps, they don’t take a straight line. They veer, they pause, they weave around people. Still, they never lose focus. They don’t stop. They don’t give up or get frustrated. They’re so dialed in to their goal—and the conversation they're having—that the crowd becomes background noise. Each step is instinctively adjusted, always realigning with the end destination.

If they had mapped out a strict, rigid path and tried to stick to it no matter what, they might still have made it—but it would’ve been harder. They would’ve had to either wait or bulldoze through people. By staying flexible and focused on the outcome, not the how, they moved efficiently and without resistance. No second-guessing. No judgment. Just trust and forward motion.

What’s fascinating is that their winding path actually ends up being the fastest way forward. Sure, if there were no obstacles, a straight line would win. But here’s the thing: there are always obstacles. Too often, we let those obstacles slow us down—or worse, define our whole experience. We overanalyze them. We focus on them. We pitch a tent and stay there. But the obstacle only becomes a problem when it hijacks our focus. As Leslie teaches, the solution to any obstacle is just an idea away. But you’ll only receive that idea if you’re tuned in to the goal—not the problem.

I learned this the hard way.

Years ago, I had free tickets to a concert downtown. Traffic was awful, multiple events were happening at once, and my schedule was tight. As the roads clogged, so did my mindset. I was grumpy, short-tempered, and entirely focused on everything going wrong. I pulled in behind a bus that looked like it was turning right—it wasn’t. It parked. Another bus pulled up beside me and did the same. And just like that, I was boxed in. The bus drivers got out and started arguing with a police officer while I sat, fuming and helpless. We missed the concert.

Looking back, I realize the traffic wasn’t the real problem—I was. Instead of focusing on the joy of being at the concert (something I might’ve done more had I paid for the tickets and been emotionally invested), I fixated on the obstacles. I basically expected things to go wrong… and they did. I gathered evidence for every negative thought I had and used it to fuel my frustration. My thoughts became irrational, my reactions extreme. And even if we had made it in, I doubt we could’ve enjoyed it. I had dragged us completely out of alignment with the joy that was meant to come from that experience.

The concert didn’t matter in the long run. Life moved on. None of us are scarred by missing it (though my kids still say it’s the one time they were truly scared of me). But that night taught me something: if I had stayed connected to the goal instead of obsessing over the challenges, we probably would’ve made it. And even if we hadn’t, we could’ve still had a good evening together. The only reason it turned out badly… is because I made it so.

So here’s the takeaway: as you work toward your goals, focus on the joy of achieving them. Feel that joy now. Trust that what you want is also wanting you. And as you take steps—imperfect, zig-zagging, obstacle-dodging steps—know that the ideas, solutions, and resources you need will come, right when you need them. Not before. And when obstacles pop up (because they will), just keep moving forward. Even if “forward” means a sidestep.

You got this.

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