Walking my path. © Michael D. Hughes
As you set goals and travel your path in life, do you ever find yourself worried about taking a wrong turn?
Even though I sometimes struggle with making choices, deep down, I don't believe that our life's path is set in stone or that there's only one "right" way for us to go. There is no one set path to follow, so we shouldn't worry that we'll make a misstep; that line of thinking leaves us paralyzed and unable to choose ... unable to live.
I submit that if we take a turn in life and don't like the view, we must work to change it. We must keep moving forward toward our intended destination. I'll admit that I struggle with this concept. I sometimes fear that I'll take a wrong turn, make a bad decision and never be able to recover. But I know that I can't let that fear stop me from moving. If I do make a misstep, well, that will just be a detour until I veer things back on course.
A friend of mine recently took a new job after years at a position she liked but that didn't pay very well. As it turned out, she hated the new job and was convinced she'd made a mistake. I insisted that she not look at it that way — that she view her discomfort at the new job as the impetus that would finally move her on to a better position that paid more. After several months, she found that position. While she's still looking for something that pays a bit more, in the meantime, she is making more than she was at the original job and she's happier than she was at the "mistake" job.
Life is a journey, and there's no one single way to arrive at the life you want you have. There are multiple paths with different roadside attractions along the way. We have to do the best we can with the information we have at hand. We have to make choices. And we have to live with them. And learn from them.
Life is filled with uncertainty and offers no guarantees. I guess that's the scary part. But I'm committed to accepting that uncertainty, to making the best choices I can and to altering my path if I don't like the view.
If you find yourself too scared to make a decision, too fearful to choose, I share your fear. But I am determined to plow through the fear and follow my path ... regardless of how many detours I have to take.
Do you have trouble making decisions? Have you overcome the fear of taking a wrong turn in life? Have you made a life choice that you later regretted? Please share your story or thoughts in the Comments.
