Do I Adjust My Life’s Path – or – Does the Path Adjust Me?
The answer is Yes. Both the path and I adjust in various ways.
The only constant in the entire Universe is Change.
I repeat that a lot. Why? Because it can have a truly amazing impact on our life experiences when we recognize, acknowledge, and accept this truth.
Everything you know – all the comfort zones you exist in – has changed before. They will change again. And then, after they change – they’ll still change.
No matter how resistant to change anyone is – they’ve experienced it. The infant became a toddler. The toddler became an adolescent. Then, the adolescent became a teen. Adulthood, after these, has multiple stages, too.
The point is – change is inevitable. It happens, fast and slow, big and small, desired and unwanted. Change happens.
Many people, recognizing this, wonder – why should I bother to try to control anything at all?
Because that’s part of the life experience for everyone. We’re capable of creating amazing things – both tangible and intangible. Doing so, however, requires a modicum of control.
For example – I have a great idea for a sci-fi story. To take it from idea to reality – I take control of change. I must choose to make the time to do the writing, and then all the other steps if I desire to publish it and share it with you. That’s a matter of taking control of my time, actions, thoughts, feelings, intentions – and like matters that I can control.
That’s a path that I choose.
But if change is constant and inevitable – do I adjust the path or does the path adjust me?
An ever-shifting perspective
The only time that’s real is now. This moment. The present.
The past has passed and been colored, altered, and otherwise varied by our beliefs, biases, values, and more. And it’s done and over, frankly. It can’t be undone, redone, or changed. And the future is uncertain, unknown, and unwritten. But this moment – literally now – is truly, really real.
The only time I can do my work – is here and now. Sure, the work I do now could have been informed and developed via lessons from the past. It can also provide an impact in the future. But it can only be done and happen right now.
Keeping that in mind – the path I choose now is going to vary from any I’ve chosen in the past or might choose in the future. What’s more, something unexpected could occur that will adjust my path – or cause me to choose to adjust the path I’m on.
Perspective shifts – both at will and due to circumstances. This can be due to outside influences and happenings both expected and unexpected.
But it can also be due to learning new things, life experiences, discoveries, and other factors you might not have considered.
Thus – the path will adjust, and you will adjust the path.
I don’t want to adjust anything
Does that look familiar? You had this plan, started setting everything in motion, and then – BOOM – something happens. Now you need to adjust.
But it was all going so well! It felt right! WTAF?
Change. It’s constant, ongoing, and will happen no matter your plan, intent, or even your actions.
Because of this truth – many people make no choices. They don’t bother to choose their path, for the most part. They choose to either let life live them (going with a, whatever happens, happens attitude in much of what you do). Or they curl up in a ball and wait to die (bemoaning this, that, or the other thing, and seeing little to no good or room for control with anything).
We have the power to choose to take life like a bull by the horns and go for a ride. That is a matter of choice and taking the only real control available to us. Over ourselves and what we choose to do.
I know how it feels like there are times we have ZERO control in our lives. And that is true when random happenings happen. But after the moment – and the thing that happened, happens – we can choose what to do next.
Yes. I know how exhausting that can feel. Sometimes, it would be great to just go with the flow and not choose. And there are times we can and should. But if there is something you intend – or a path you have chosen or are choosing – that’s not the time.
How do we reconcile this?
When you choose a path – any path – it’s going to adjust in one way or another. Likely it will either need to be adjusted by you or it will adjust somehow for you.
That’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes an adjustment is made because a better, easier option presents itself. An opportunity falls into your lap. Maybe an unexpected connection shows you something you didn’t anticipate.
We tend to presume the worst. Then, to adjust is going to probably be a negative thing or result from something else negative. This is a product of our fear-based society.
The best way to combat fear? Reason. The best way to find reason? Mindfulness.
Conscious awareness of the here and now – this moment – opens us to potential, possibilities, and realtime options for our lives. That’s mindfulness in action.
Conscious awareness – mindfulness of the present moment – is achieved by knowing your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions – combined with your sensory input. You take it all in and see it for what, how, when, why, where, and who you are. Right now – this moment – the only time that’s really real.
Being mindful lets us see what adjustments we need to make – and/or what adjustments were made outside of our control and how to react to them. The point is that we reconcile this and can retain or, if lost, regain our control.
Adjust in time
Finally – we need to recognize and acknowledge that this might take time. A little time or a lot of time – it might not be instantaneous.
Maybe you need to adjust your path – or your path has adjusted itself somehow. How long will it take to reclaim control? As long as it takes.
But you can. And you will. If you stay mindful, work with conscious awareness to be present in the now, and be kind and compassionate towards yourself.
Change is the only constant in the Universe. Because of this truth – there will always be a need to adjust, or adjustment will happen. No matter what paths we choose – odds are that we’ll have to adjust at some point or other.
Mindfulness and being consciously aware, here and now, make this much easier. It still takes work, practice, and a variable amount of time. But I believe that it’s worth it.
Why? Because I would rather take what control I can to find and/or create change than be in a constant state of reaction to the world around me.
I desire to choose my path – and adjust it on my terms as much as possible.
How do you adjust your path or deal when your path adjusts?
This is the five-hundred and twenty-fifth exploration of my Pathwalking philosophy. These weekly essays are my ideas for – and experiences with – using 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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