How Far We've come
Updated: Oct 5
It’s interesting how many of us spend our lives searching for a life that feels uniquely ours—a life where we can be authentic, feel supported, and live with purpose. So why can it be so difficult to find?
Perhaps it’s because we’re trying to fit ourselves into a life that was never designed for us.
I’ll admit that I did this in my twenties when I was beginning to find my way. I wasn’t consciously trying to follow someone else’s vision of who I should be; I was simply doing what I had been taught. But what I had been taught was to follow the path everyone else was taking.
That approach didn’t work for me. Years later, I left a culture that no longer aligned with my values or my integrity, and I ended a marriage for many of the same reasons. Eventually, I realized that following everyone else’s path would never lead me to the life that was right for me. It wasn’t until I began listening to my own inner compass that I found my way.
After all these years, I’ve learned that the only way to discover the life meant for us is to listen to our own inner voice. We can’t find our true path by following someone else’s ideas, values, or beliefs.
That can be difficult because it’s often easier to follow people who seem certain they know the way. Setting out on our own can feel frightening and lonely. But if we find the courage to do it, we may discover that we aren’t alone after all. We’ll meet others who are walking their own paths, and they may become the people who truly understand, support, and belong with us.
If we continue following others simply because it’s what we were taught, we may never discover our own direction, and our inner compass will never have the opportunity to guide us.
Finding our path is an ongoing process that takes practice. It requires listening more than speaking, gathering information before drawing conclusions, accepting reality, thinking critically, researching, observing before reacting, reflecting, developing self-awareness, and—most importantly—consulting the wisdom within.
When we become still, sit with what we’ve learned, and look inward, the answers often begin to emerge. We recognize what is right for us because it feels authentic and brings a sense of peace.
No one else can provide the answers to our lives. It’s only when we release the expectations and opinions around us and turn inward that things begin to fall into place.
I had to learn this lesson the hard way, but now that I understand it, I can say this with confidence: life will never be easy. However, these days, instead of meeting the unknown with confusion, anxiety, and fear, I find love, joy, peace, and purpose waiting for me there.
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