Ever want a universal sign?
Don and I had a great discussion this week about, “Do you ever look back at certain school or career decisions and think, ‘I wonder where we’d be if we had done this instead of that?’” Most of us have some lingering thoughts around different options that have come our way. For some of us we made the decision using some mix of gut reaction, pro and con list, and advice seeking. For others of us, we’ve let indecision be our decision.
If you’re like me, at those moments, I have hoped for a cosmic sign of what I should do or where I should go next. If we each had a billboard from God saying, “Do this,” life would be so much easier. This begs the questions, “How do I know where to go and how do I know if I’m doing the right thing?” Let’s explore these two questions.
“How do I know where to go and what to do?”
Some of us become paralyzed as we look at what seems to be an all-consuming, life-altering question. We are paralyzed because we think, “If I do this and it’s not what I’m supposed to do, I’ll have messed up, then what?”
It’s important that we keep our response to this question in manageable steps. Today I’m going to do X which moves me toward Y. That doesn’t mean I’ll arrive at Y today, but I’m going try something today that will start my journey to Y.
And what if the journey to Y isn’t what we thought it would be? Well, then having a good perspective and taking this in small steps was a wise way to start. We can double back knowing we didn’t lose all that much by trying. In fact, we didn’t lose at all. We gained new knowledge we didn’t have before trying the path to Y.
How we approach the unknown is important. I don’t think any of us want to think at 60 or 70 or 80 years old, and think I wish I had the courage to try. Taking small steps on that path allows us explore and decide at each step if it’s right or not.
“How do I know if this is the right thing to do (i.e. am I fulfilling my purpose in life)?”
This is a little trickier. We start by exploring our new path. From there, we have to ask ourselves:
· How does this path leave me feeling? Am I drained or energized by what I’m doing?
· How does this path impact my faith, my family, my friends?
· Does this path align with my core values?
· Does it utilize my strengths and leave me feeling significant in purpose?
I’ve recently decided to take a few steps back on my journey to Y. The journey was impacting my family and my friends in negative ways. I felt discontent because my core values related to relationship and impact were missing. As I have retraced my steps, I find myself smiling more. I find my time at home is better. I find my moments at work have had more, “I love this.” All of us want more of those moments.
Your path is your path, but making sure you have found the right path for you is hard. Best of luck as you explore options and keep your journey in perspective – it’s a journey of one step at a time.
Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.
