This blog comes four months after a life altering decision and at the potential cusp of another. I’m writing these words as more or less of a personal journal that I feel could be useful for the rest of the world. I’ve learned over time that being vulnerable is the quickest path to impact and without disclosing too many details, that’s what I’ll be doing here.
If you’re unsure of how to proceed in life, this one is for you.
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Hindsight is a beautiful thing because it allows us to look back and connect the dots. Perhaps one of the most challenging parts about life is attempting to connect the dots going forward – it’s something we all do when looking ahead but it’s an impossible task because we can’t predict the future (if I could I’d be a millionaire). To make things even more challenging, when we make one decision we forever change the trajectory of our life. That fact can paralyze us from action if we let it.
There are certain moments in life that just make sense and leaving my job was one of those decisions. However more often than not, our decisions aren’t so easy and that’s the place where this blog is coming from. I’m sitting here feeling conflicted as I contemplate two very different paths both filled with amazing potential.
To keep things applicable to everyone I won’t get into the details of the two paths I’m looking at.
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”
Douglas Adams
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How To Choose The Right Path
Let me begin with this – I don’t think we can always know what the “right path” is and because I believe in God’s perfect plan (everything happens for a reason), I feel that whatever path we end up choosing is that path we were meant to be on.
Instead of a monologue with how I see things, let me suggest that you spend some time in stillness reflecting on these questions and aligning your answers with your future actions.
- What things do I value most in life?
- Will this path bring me closer to the person that I want to be?
- What is the deep motivation for me choosing this path (e.g. money, fulfillment, growth, etc.)?
- Does the answer to question three align with the answer to question one?
- What are the potential negative consequences of choosing this path?
- Will this path give you the lifestyle that you desire?
- What does your gut tell you?
There are hundreds if not thousands of questions you could ask to determine the best possible path forward, but sometimes simple is best. I feel that the fourth question is the most important question and one that we all need to be able to answer for every decision, not just the big ones. In addition to reflecting inward, it’s always useful to have honest discussions with people that you trust to get outside perspectives. This process of changing paths can be a challenging one for many reasons but above all else, we need to understand that sometimes resistance means that we’re on the right path and that all change requires loss. In the end we’ll often regret inaction over action and that’s the truth.
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I’m choosing between two great paths and the truth is that if you have options, you’re in a good place too. Take a minute to step back from the confusion, exhaustion and frustration of your situation and embrace an attitude of gratitude for all that you have an all of the possibilities that the future holds. Let’s end it off with a classic…
“Transitions are almost always signs of growth but they can bring feelings of loss. To go somewhere new, we may have to leave somewhere else behind.”
Fred Rogers
Grow into your next path.
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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