Can You Have Guides Along Your Paths in Life?
Yes, but recognize the difference between guidance, obedience, and blind faith.
I frequently point out that you, and you alone, live in your head, heart, and soul. Nobody else is in there, it’s only you.
Hence, you’re the only one who can think, feel, intend, and act for you. All choices for your life belong to you alone. Nobody else can live your life for you. Neither can anyone else control you unless you cede any form of control to another.
However, while each of us walks our given paths in life on our own, that doesn’t mean that we can’t seek out guides along the way.
Guides for your path come in many different forms. They can be extremely esoteric and might be signs and portents recognized by only you. Some guides are people. This includes people you meet and know like friends, family, coworkers, and in-person teachers. It also includes people who provide books, podcasts, blogs, and other guidance that can help you choose and/or walk your paths.
This is all well and good. That is until a guide turns into more than a resource for information. Cult leaders are a perfect example of this issue.
Recognizing the difference between a guide and a demagogue/authoritarian is important to you being mindful of the choices you make, based on your thoughts, feelings, intentions, and actions.
Guides versus demagogues/authoritarians
I’ve read time and again about leaders, managers, and the like who fail to recognize and understand true leadership versus authoritarianism.
A true leader offers guidance. They provide a framework from which you can think, reason, and act. A true leader measures their success via your success. If you are doing well under their guidance they are doing well. You are not an inferior, you are someone they oversee and sometimes guide in various ways.
A demagogue or authoritarian leader isn’t a guide. They tell you what’s what and how things can, will, and should be. A demagogue/authoritarian doesn’t offer a framework that you are expected to work in; rather, they create a biased and usually self-aggrandizing framework to make themselves look good. They couldn’t care less if you’re doing well unless you’re not and that impacts them (and then you’ll never hear the end of it). You’re an inferior, someone they stand above and direct, micromanage, and strive to control.
A true leader cares. An authoritarian doesn’t. The true leader believes in the team. An authoritarian is in it for themselves.
Yes, both of these are extreme examples of these people. However, I know people who readily fit both molds.
Guides offer suggestions, ideas, insight, and assistance. They do not – however – tell you how to do what you are seeking to do. They leave that up to you.
I share my Pathwalking philosophy and process to offer myself to the world as a guide. That’s why there is no One True Way™ that I say will work for all since it’s simply not true.
However, I’ve learned some things along the way. Sharing these things, it’s my hope, will make your paths easier than some of mine have been.
Sharing some of the resources/guides that I’ve used
I’m an avid reader. Every single morning, I read for about an hour. My reading includes a chapter or two of fiction and a chapter or two of nonfiction.
The nonfiction I read can be quite variable. There are a lot of books about mindfulness, self-help, self-improvement, mindset of various stripes, and the like, that I tend to seek out and read. However, I also like to throw in some science, psychology, philosophy, and other books on topics that stimulate my mind in one form or another.
I’m also quite fond of audiobooks. This is such a great way to read a book while driving, especially over a long distance. While I generally don’t reread books, I do relisten to audiobooks. Especially a few that really move me. These are resources I’ve used that I’d like to share with you.
What’s more, if you’re not a fan of audiobooks, these are great reading choices, too.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
This is my favorite book of all time. I might be an enormous fan of fantasy and sci-fi, but this book moves me every time I listen to it.
Initially, years ago, I read this book. The audiobook, however, is read by the inimitable Jeremy Irons. He is an incredible narrator.
Beyond that, however, this story is no mere work of fiction. It’s a lesson in living your life as fully as possible and finding the potential and possibilities everywhere. This book also offers one of my most favorite quotes,
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.”
An amazing story with some practical concepts for living life to the fullest. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
This is, in my opinion, a must-read for any artist, writer, or creator. Steven Pressfield shares the creative process and all its challenges in a way that is clever, insightful, and super helpful.
Most importantly, he explains that certain something most creatives face along the way. Mr. Pressfield calls it “Resistance.” I’ve written about this a couple of times before: Resistance is that nameless, faceless thing that stands between you and the world and the work you most desire to do. It manifests as fear, self-sabotage, and other bad habits that can and will derail any creative and their process.
The most current version of this is narrated by Mr. Pressfield himself. I know he must be great (he narrates another of his own works I love). The version I have and frequently relisten to is brilliantly narrated by George Guidall.
You Are a Badass – Jen Sincero
When it comes to understanding mindset, mindfulness, conscious reality creation, and the like, Jen Sincero offers the most concise, down-to-earth, and realistic approach I’ve come across.
She’s funny, she swears, and she shares great stories from her own life that make this an absolutely incredible book. Unlike other self-helpery out there. You Are a Badass is less hooky-spooky in its approach and presentation.
Jen Sincero reads her own book here, and she’s an amazing narrator. Similarly, I also highly recommend her You Are a Badass at Making Money book and audiobook.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
This book presents the answer to the great question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. 42. ‘Nuff said.
Ok, so, no, this one has no legit pearls of wisdom quite like The Alchemist does – save one. You should not take life too seriously because it’s a bloody joke on us all.
This is one of the finest works of absurdist sci-fi there is, plus it’s incredibly clever and fun. Also, Stephen Fry’s narration is utterly spectacular. If you saw the movie from 2005, you got a preview of the narration he does for this book.
But as escapism and taking your life none-too-seriously goes, this is a very useful resource.
Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be – Steven Pressfield
Sure, there are some other books I relisten to by other authors. But like The War of Art, this book gives me ideas for how to approach my art. It offers simple but wise tips, anecdotes, and insight into what it takes to do the work and be an artist. It also offers more on Resistance and how to combat it regularly.
Note – Resistance is always there and always will be. You can’t make it go away, but you can take the fight to it and beat it with mindful action.
Mr. Pressfield reads this himself and lets you know from the start that you get bonus material. Since it’s his book, he can add something here or there as he reads it to you, so there you go. He’s a bit dry, but there’s an earnestness there I deeply appreciate.
These five resources have been a source of comfort, inspiration, and guidance I always glean something new from each listen. I share them because I believe you might find something useful for you (and quite probably not the same things I found).
Mindfulness and guides
When you are actively, consciously aware and practicing mindfulness, you will know if someone or something is a good guide.
How? You’ll give it thought, consideration, and analyze it. Then, you’ll feel the impression he/she/they/it makes on you in your heart. After that, you’ll feel intent to take action from what they have provided. Not action for the sake of action, or action that they told you to take. This will be an action that feels inspirational, exciting, and worthwhile.
Then you’ll do something. What will you do? I have no idea, and neither does your guide. That’s not important. What is important is that you are walking your chosen path(s), and making choices and decisions consciously, here and now.
You can have guides along your path. Just be mindful, aware, and attuned to how they guide you and that you choose them because they feel right, and you like to think about them, too.
A guide might show you a path, but they will not lead you down it, per se. What they will do is offer insight and maybe wisdom you can make use of along the way. Those are the best guides, active or passive.
What guides have you employed along your life paths?
This is the six-hundred and twenty-third (623) exploration of my Pathwalking philosophy. These weekly essays are my ideas for – and experiences with – applying mindfulness and positivity to walk along a chosen path of life to consciously create reality.
I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world and empower as many people as I can with conscious reality creation.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to re-post and share this.
The first year of Pathwalking, including expanded ideas, is available here. Check out Amazon for my published fiction and nonfiction works.
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