I remember being in my first year of college, taking general ed courses that had me scratchin' my head. What in the world does Sociology 101 have to do with what I want to do with my life?
And just what the heck do I want to do with my life?
(I do believe that I'm still asking that question!)
I was dating a guy that seemed to have his act together. He was heading toward becoming an engineer. We had a discussion on this topic that I'll never forget.
"So, how do you know what to do? How did you figure out which way to go?"
He shrugged. "Just pick a direction and go. If it doesn't work, you can always change direction."
Such sage advice. So hard to take when one lives in fear. I lived so long in fear of making mistakes, of "getting in trouble," that the simplicity of his statement pulled me up short. Really? It's that simple? Go one way, and if you see you're getting lost, just turn a corner and go another way? Brilliant!
Oprah puts it another way:
"Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction."
I still have to remind myself that it's through my trials, through traveling down unknown paths, through attempting to trust people, that I learn. Some activities I try will be incompatible with my preferences and abilities, some paths I take will have forks or dead ends, some people who were once valued can become toxic to my spirit. By giving things a try, picking a direction to go, making errors in judgment, I find out who I'm not.
That is bringing me closer to sharpening the focus on who I am -- and just what the heck I want to do with my life at age 52.
No comments:
Post a Comment