I’d be lying if I said it is hard to lose sight of what’s important. The past several days I’ve spent reflecting on the idea that sometimes we stray from our path, and our judgment gets clouded by things that never mattered before. We devote hours and days and even months on something; we cultivate it and grow it in such a way that we expect to see it through until the end. But I have learned that straying from a path isn’t necessarily bad, and in fact, it sometimes helps us find ourselves.
Sometimes we must lose ourselves to find ourselves. We don’t always know what we’re looking for or what needs to be found until we feel loss and an absence. When we lose ourselves, we have no choice but to go searching. So taking the wrong path or going astray isn’t necessarily a mistake, but rather an opportunity.
You may find on your journey that the wrong path turns out to be the right one. There is no way to know that the path you started on was right unless you go out and explore other possibilities. You may find that there are multiple paths leading to the same destination, in which case you must decide which path is of greater benefit to you. There are no rules, no compulsions, and no restrictions. There is the road and there is the traveller.
There are always two choices we can make in life: the first choice being to stick to a path, and the second being to diverge. Sticking to a path does not allow for growth; it ensures that we will continue expecting the expected and that we will anticipate every little bump and obstacle. But diverging from a path leaves room for the unexpected. On a different path there are unforeseen bumps, obstacles, and perhaps unforeseen dangers as well. There are those who will urge you to lose yourself. They will tell you to lose your way and to wander because, after all, wandering feeds the soul. And there are those who will urge you to stay with what you have and to stay focused on a goal because there is no guarantee that a different path will even bring you to the finish line.
The decision is yours to make. But in the words of Confucius, “wherever you go, go with your heart.” Ask yourself what’s important, because priorities change, and a change in priorities calls for a change in focus. There is no growth without change and there is no happiness without a goal. You are the only person that knows your heart and mind well enough to decide what’s best for you. So if you do decide to lose yourself, prepare to look as long as it takes to find yourself. The journey may be long but it will surely be rewarding. And if you choose to stay on the path you started on, remind yourself of your purpose and goal, and remind yourself that you chose this path for a reason. Either way, trust your instinct — it is stronger than you can imagine.
