Sunday, March 14, 2010

Choosing the path

While it's important to pay attention to the signs and symbols that punctuate your life, it's also important that you not spend all your time waiting for a sign that you're making the right choice or doing the right thing. The symbolism in life is highly individual and often can't be interpreted by anyone but you and not until much after the time it happens. How then can you know you're following the right path for you?

When I've made major decisions in my life, occasionally I've found that there is a force that pushes me in a direction that I probably would not have chosen when it happened, but later turns out to be exactly right. It's hard not to push back when this occurs, especially when you're certain you're doing what you really want. If the decision you make is not aligned with the path you've chosen for this life, it will become a difficult (but usually not impossible) path to travel. The reason I say not impossible, is because we always have free will, which gives us the option of following a different path, although it may be at our own peril. On a few stubborn occasions, I've forced something to happen in spite of the fact that the choice I'm making is fraught with roadblocks and difficulties. An example of this that almost everyone can identify with is the forging of relationships.

We all know of someone who has forced a relationship when it was apparent that it would not and most likely could not work. People are social animals and it's natural for them to crave companionship, love and acceptance from others and especially from a mate. However, some people are so determined to be in relationship, that they ignore the warnings of their inner self and steadfastly cling to the wrong partner, even long after they've admited to themselves that the relationship is a mistake.

For any major life decison, whether it's buying a house, choosing a mate, changing jobs, whatever - if we've made the right choice, we'll experience minimal inner turmoil or regret, the path will have little or no resistance and things will just naturally 'fall' into place.

4 comments:

  1. But what if you really want the other thing!! The right choice gives you mimimal turmoil but you want so bad the other path. Wonder what that means!! I enjoy reading your posts. They always make me Think!!

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  2. I have found this to be so true. The harder I try to force something that later turns out to be wrong, the more resistance I meet while decisions that later turn out to be right seem to flow effortlessly.

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  3. Hi Gayle, you make your own reality and are free to pursue whatever path you want, however, it's been my experience that what think I really want is not generally what I need! Glad you enjoy the posts.

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  4. Hi Deb, thanks for the validation. Now that we're older, most of the time we do agree!

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