Pathwalking 143
Why are you on this path?
The path you are on, right now, as you read this, why are you on it?
Did you choose this path for yourself? Did someone else choose it for you? Did you stumble upon this path, or was there effort and conscious direction when you decided to travel upon it?
I have probably asked all of these questions before. If they are being repeated, that is because they are so deeply important. If you want to be a conscious Pathwalker, then these are questions you need to ask.
Everybody is a Pathwalker. Yes, everybody. We are all on paths, sometimes singular, sometimes numerous, but everyone everywhere is on a path.
The difference between calling yourself a Pathwalker and being a pathwalker is choice. Did you make a conscious decision about the path you wish to be on, or did the path choose you? Are you the architect of your own destiny, or are you letting life live you as it will?
This is the reason it is so important to ask – Why are you on this path?
The notion of Pathwalking is to choose your destiny. It is about choosing what you are doing in this life, where you are going to, and more importantly where you are now.
It is so very easy to just let life live you. Go with the flow. Fall into the pattern. Find and live the routine. Choose your own paradigm or metaphor, but making the conscious choice for your own path is difficult. There are more challenges, and more obstacles, and more complications when you choose your own path.
At least, that is how it seems. The truth is, there are fewer challenges, the obstacles are less seemingly insurmountable, and the complications are more manageable when you are choosing your own path. Why? Because when you have chosen a path for yourself, you know what it is you want, and you know why “this” path in particular.
Why are you on this path? The answer is usually because you want to take control of your life, and you want to ultimately be happy. No one would consciously choose a path that will deny them control of their life and ultimately make them miserable. Even the most self-sacrificing person doesn’t truly want that for themselves. The self-sacrificing do what they do in the interest of the happiness of others, that’s true…but the happiness of others, they believe, is what, when all is said and done, will bring THEM happiness.
You cannot make other people happy when you are not happy. It really is that simple. Again, this is why no one would choose a path to misery consciously.
There are as many paths as you can conceive. Pretty much any limitations you encounter are there because you have allowed them to be.
You cannot just have, be or do ANYTHING. There are ALWAYS limits. Not everyone can be President of the United States!
This is totally true. But that is because not everyone wants to BE President. Very few people well and truly want the grandiose. Many people say they want to be famous, or they want to be someone everybody knows. But I believe that what most people want is, relatively speaking, simple. We want to be comfortable, we want to be loved, we want to be happy.
Pathwalking is about figuring out what it is you want. If you want something grandiose and incredible, if you really want it and can put the effort and the energy and the passion and desire and willpower into it, it is possible. Easy? Probably not. But that does not mean it is not worth having – if that is the path you want to take.
Why are you on this path? Is the journey satisfying you? Is the path you are walking across now leading to a goal or goals you truly wish to achieve? These are the questions we must ask ourselves, to truly find and walk the trails we most desire.
There are days this is really hard. There are days where I question everything, I debate if I have chosen well or poorly, I wonder why I am on this path. When I ask why, I give myself the necessary nudge to contemplate and analyze my path, and determine if the answer continues to suit me.
When you can answer why you are on the path you are on, and you find that the answer makes you feel content, makes you feel right, seems to be correct…you have chosen a good path. When the answer makes you feel distressed, makes you feel wrong, seems to be off…you may not have chosen a good path for you, and it may be time to reevaluate, and consider another option.
Why are you on this path? The answer will be different for everyone, but chances are the bones remain the same. You want to choose for yourself, you want to take control over your own destiny, you want to ultimately enjoy your journey and find happiness along the way.
Why are you on this path?
This is the one-hundred forty third entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share. Thank you for joining me.
The first fifty-two weeks (Year One) of installments of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
Follow me here!
