Alternative Paths ~ Trust30 ~ Prompt #14

When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world buzzes about goals and visions. Focus. Create a vivid picture of exactly where you want to go. Dream big, then don’t let anything or anyone stop you. The problem, as Daniel Gilbert wrote in Stumbling Upon Happiness, is that we’re horrible at forecasting how we’ll really feel 10 or 20 years from now – once we’ve gotten what we dreamed of. Often, we get there only to say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and ask, “What now?” Ambition is good. Blind ambition is not. It blocks out not only distraction, but the many opportunities that might take you off course but that may also lead you in a new direction. Consistent daily action is only a virtue when bundled with a willingness to remain open to the unknown. In this exercise, look at your current quest and ask, “What alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths am I not seeing?” They’re always there, but you’ve got to choose to see them.

(Author: Jonathan Fields)

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Firstly, I love that Emerson quote above. I actually just wrote a guest post for Moonlight Muse about what makes me sparkle (it’s not up yet, but stay tuned, it’s coming), and in that post, I wrote how I am seeing Life in a new way, with a new perspective, as if I put new lenses on top of my eyeballs and everything looks more sparkly now. And it is, at first, kind of strange and new……but it’s also totally awesome!

I know that there is no ‘gotta get there’ for me. Besides, when I get ‘there’ it will always be in the ‘here and now’ when I do get ‘there’. You with me?……….cool……let’s keep going.

I believe people strive for things and then aren’t always happy once they get them, like is stated above. I also believe this happens because people are not satisfied with where they are…they are always trying to get ‘there’. And they think, ‘well, I’ll be happy once I get ‘there’. Will you really? What makes you think you’ll be happy then, when you aren’t happy now? Will things be that different?

You may be happy for a short period of time, but then all the ‘stuff’ comes back into play…….your thoughts, more life challenges, rainy days…….they all come back. And what will you do when they do come back? Will you strive once more to get ‘there’ again?

When you are good with where you are, in other words, accept your life situation, then that’s when alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths will be seen (when you accept, you are in a state of openness, not resistance). You are in the moment, where you are, noticing every step and action, every emotion and feeling, every inhale and exhale…….you are Present….and in Presence you’ll stay open to the unknown and you’ll never need to strive to get ‘there’ ever again.

Inhale~Enjoy~Exhale,

Gina

image by gina rafkind

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