A Fork In the Road

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do.” – Lewis Carroll

I don’t know if there’s anyone that is completely and utterly satisfied with where they are now in every aspect of their lives. We all seem to be constantly wanting and looking for something better.

The Cheshire Cat had it right, though. If you don’t know what you want, you will have a hard time finding it. You won’t have direction.

We tend to focus on where we are, and what we don’t like about where we are. If you ask people what they want, you are more likely to get a list of things they don’t like about their current situation than a description of where they want to be.

If you are like me, you have spent a lot of time focusing mostly on others and what they wanted and needed. This was especially true while my kids were growing up. Finally, when they got older and needed me less, I found that I had lost touch with what I wanted.

It was easiest to rediscover what things I wanted. Magazines, brochures, catalogs, and the internet were treasure troves from which to choose. I made mini vision boards in a sketch book with images I tore out of magazines. The same was true for what I wanted to do, at least for fun. Travel magazines and websites showed me a world of possibilities in terms of the hotels, beaches, ski slopes, and castles.

The hardest part for me was trying to figure out what I wanted to be. Some things were not easily negotiable. I felt I “had to” keep being a mom. I “had to” keep my job in IT. I “had to” keep being a daughter, a sister, etc.

As time passed, and I no longer “had to” be a wife, I got restless. I began to wonder what I really wanted going forward. I began to explore…

I started to take voice lessons. I had always liked to sing.

A few years later I started to take dance lessons. And I found a new love, something I intend to do for as long as I can.

I started to take different courses on the internet. And new possibilities opened up.

So if you are at the point where you can let go of what other people want and need, go explore… follow your curiosity. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, or travel, or money. Remember what you loved to do before you accepted all those other roles and responsibilities.

When you choose your path, it will take you where you want to go. (And there are always forks in the road in case you want to detour.)

Leave a comment! What have you rediscovered? What new paths have you found? Are you going to start exploring?

Until next time, remember… We are all magnificent.