3 Ways to Find & Follow Your Path

The question I’ve been thinking about is: How can you be sure you’re going down the right path?

I think for humans 300 years ago, or even 50 years ago, it might have been easier to choose your path, compared to today where the options are literally endless. I mean my parents didn’t dream of me becoming a social media influencer as that wasn’t even a job description back then.

In a sea of infinite choices on what you could do, how do you decide which way to go? Here’s a couple ways…

BE WILLING TO CHANGE COURSE

It is essential to be willing to change course when things aren’t working out. Be willing to admit when you’re wrong. Be willing to go in a new direction even though things are not going how you’d thought they would, or how you said they would. I think a big reason people don’t share their big dreams and goals with others (and honestly, sometimes themselves) is because of the fear that if it doesn’t work out, then that means you failed.

When I first decided to get my bachelors degree in psychology, I chose an online college purely based on price alone. They were “accredited” enough, and I thought I was fine with that. Until someone asked me what school I went to, and I was surprised at myself that I was a little embarrassed to tell them. After all, most people never even heard of this place.

Not only was the school missing the accreditation for my region, but it was also a go-at-your-own-pace kinda program: something I KNOW does not work well for me. I needed deadlines — and a degree from an accredited university that would actually make it possible for me to find a job where I live with that degree. So I changed course.

Being able to understand when a certain choice you made was the wrong one is not an easy task. No one plans to mess up, or make the wrong decision, or intentionally go down the wrong path. But it happens. And when it does, when you need to change course, it is in your own best interest to have your own back, instead letting shame or a fear of failure hold you back from finding a path that is right for you.

UNDERSTAND PATH VS. DISTRACTIONS

Like skiers through the trees, following the path of the snow. They understand the difference between the path and the trees. Everything and everyone in your life is either helping you to reach your goals, and ultimately leading you down your path. Or it is a distraction.

Becoming self-aware is an on-going process, and learning to discern what is a distraction and what is actually for you along your path can be difficult. Especially in the beginning. But developing this understanding is like working a muscle. The more you do it, the stronger you become.

Doom Scrolling, tending to every single ping and notification on your cell phone, hours of mindless television or video games, rumination, spending time with negative people — all examples of distractions.

The next school I went to still wasn’t the right choice. I had terrible communication issues with the staff at school #2. I had completed a few credits, as I was determined not to just give up, but when I was always made to feel like a burden for having questions about my education that I was paying for, I made the decision much faster this time around. Like Goldilocks, school #3 was juuuuust right, great communication, deadlines — with the option to do some at-your-own-pace courses along the way, and fully accredited in my region.

ASK YOURSELF: WHERE ARE YOU EVEN GOING?

Perhaps the first question to ask. But yes, where are you going? Do you want to start a podcast or write a book or become a pumpkin farmer? What does the best version of Future You look like? What do you really want to become?

If you just go with the flow, you will go wherever the current takes you. Which could be a place that you don’t actually want to go. It’s better to set your sails on a path in the direction that you decide you want to go — so you don’t get lost in the waves and feel like you don’t know where you’re going in life.

What you can do:

Some self-exploration through journaling, and earnestly answering questions like these:

•How do I define having a “good life”?
•What is it that I can’t let go of?
•What is holding me back from letting go?
•What could I do to be happier?
•What drains my energy?
•What does “success” mean to me, and why is it important?
•Which are the things that matter the most to me?
•What’s something I would like to do more of and why?
•What obstacles get in the way of my happiness?
•Who inspires me and why?
•How would I like to be remembered?
•What is a big goal that I would like to achieve in my life?
•What keeps me awake at night?
•What are the top 10 things I’m most grateful for?
•Who am I jealous of and why?
•How do I feel about my last mistake, and what did I learn from it?
•What makes me feel motivated?
•What does the perfect day look like?
•What do I imagine my future self to be like?

Find then follow the path that enables you to live the life you want to live. Don’t be blown by the winds of fate. Don’t be a creation of circumstances. — Steven Redhead