In the journey of life, what does it mean to travel in the longer direction?

Knowing that the world is round, means that it no longer matters whether the path of your journey in life takes you through the North pole or it takes you through the South pole. What matters is, knowing that you will most probably still arrive at the same destination as long as you are in motion.

So, when you think you have traveled long enough and feel you have not yet reached your destination
do not be discouraged thinking that you have been travelling in the wrong direction. Far from it. It only means you may have been travelling in the longer direction.

What does it mean to travel in the longer direction? It means the purpose of the journey is really big. It tells you how important that purpose is. It means more time is required to prepare you for the purpose. It means you cannot afford to fail to achieve that purpose. It even means that you can measure how big the purpose is by the size of the problems you will need to overcome along the way.

In order words, in your journey in life, it is not how long or how short it takes you to arrive at your destination. It is how well prepared you are in achieving the purpose of the journey once you have arrived at the destination.