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The path in front of you

It’s difficult to know what path to choose in terms of love, life, and work. Many of us are fortunate to be faced with choices (many choices): who to marry, where to live, what to do for an income.

Yet so many choices can be both paralyzing and confusing. Even depressing.

What if, instead of agonizing over the decision at hand, you found peace? That instead of drowning unease with more work or food or alcohol or worse, you settle into the life you’re living? What if, instead of looking into the future, you set aside time to be thankful and recognize where life has brought you?

Revel in that moment, that moment when several paths are before you. Cherish that day. That relationship. That job. Feel your feet on the ground, your seat in the chair, and place a hand over your heart. The path you’re seeking is the one you are on.

Let go

Let go of the plan that doesn’t work anymore. Just because things haven’t panned out quite as you expected them to doesn’t mean you’re not doing well. Or that you’ve fallen off track. Sometimes you need to release your grip and see what life brings.

You have an opportunity — today, tomorrow, a week from now — to let go of the habits that no longer serve you. To try a new approach, to practice a new behavior, to learn something different.

When you let go, you open up space in your life for new directions, new connections, new results, and unexpected surprises. Go. See where life takes you.

“What took you the longest to learn?”

Oprah asks her guests this question on her Super Soul podcasts. A thoughtful pause follows, and the answer is often a mix of wistfulness, courage, sometimes even regret.

How would you answer the same question?
What lesson has taken you the longest to learn?

Recognizing distance

We often consider how far we have to left to go.
Three more days until holiday.
$10,000 to hit our fundraiser.
Two terms left in the fiscal year.
Four more miles in this run.
Six credits to meet requirements.
Yet how often do we measure and appreciate the distance we’ve traveled?
Let the ground you’ve already covered fuel you.

Consume or create

The internet has made it easy to sit back and watch and endlessly consume other people’s opinions, actions, projects, and work. It is now so easy to be a passive observer, to be someone who sits on the sidelines while others play in the game.

It is difficult to create. It takes time and dedication and focus. It takes courage to put something out in the world, something that might be discarded or mocked or rejected or possibly even ignored. But your livelihood requires this of you. Your happiness and passion are fueled by creativity. Building, writing, drawing, pasting, singing, connecting — these actions will inspire you.

Read good writing. Look at art. Find pictures and places that inspire you. But don’t count on others to do all of the work. Set a goal, make a few mistakes, and love the process. Your heart needs this.