Finding your path is not an act of searching.
It is an act of allowing.
When you let go of what you think should be, you allow what is meant to be.
While this may sound trite, it is simply the act of following your heart moment by moment.
Your purpose is already built into your being.
When you follow your heart, your inner GPS, you are nudged in the right direction.
Because what finding your path comes down to is living life to the fullest.
It comes down to following what feels alive to you.
But There’s a Dangerous Obsession
That obsession is a chase for clarity.
The mind grasps for certainty, because that gives a sense of control and safety, but this certainty is an illusion.
We think we should know where we’re going.
We look for concrete things to grab onto, such as a plan, an identity, or confirmation that we’re good enough.
But none of those things are relevant.
What’s relevant is the willingness to take one step at a time toward what feels most alive to us.
When you let go of trying to know what’s going on, you begin to taste freedom.
You realize that there is only the act of living life one moment at a time. Everything else is a figment of your imagination, a thought filled with puffs of smoke.
Finding Your Path — The Video
Below you’ll find the video that complements this article. Watch it first, then read the rest of this article.
And remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel for videos not posted here on the blog.
How to Uncover Your Path in Life
While there is no formula to finding your path in life, there are common elements.
Because as I’ve already mentioned, it’s not about figuring anything out. It’s about letting life figure itself out.
You see, your purpose is already here. All you have to do is get out of the way.
Just like birds know when to fly south, so do you know where to go through what feels most alive.
So how do you follow your inner GPS? Here’s are a few suggestions:
1. Stop the Search
The first step is to stop the search. Call off the dogs.
Life is not something my mind can grasp. Speculation is possible. Certainty is not.
As you relax, you begin to notice that you have an inner GPS. You have access to intuition, feelings and nudges.
But overthink, worry, or try to figure things out and those signals are drowned out in a sea of frustration.
It may feel like life will fall apart if you stop trying to control, but I’ve found the exact opposite to be true.
Here’s a quote on this:
Don’t worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?
Rumi
You don’t know what is going to happen. You don’t know what the future holds. So you might as well relax.
Relaxing happens when you notice worry thoughts come, and you don’t engage. To explore deeper, notice the feeling that is trying to be avoided by going into thoughts.
2. Use What You Have
When I work with people, I notice a sense of urgency, a rush to success.
If someone wants to be a writer, they want to have written their book. They want to already be a successful author.
They’re focused on destinations. But life is a process, a journey.
To yearn for an achievement is to yearn for an artificial sweetener. It may taste sweet at first, but it has no substance.
And going back to feelings; notice that when you are in a rush to an imagined future, you are trying to avoid feeling something. The unpleasant feeling is what catapults you into thinking.
Being aware of this, focus on what you can do with what you have. Bring your focus to this moment.
If you feel the urge to write, then write. Start a blog. Write flash fiction. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have an audience. What matters is that you start with one tiny step.
Remember, it’s not up to you to figure out where you’re going. It’s up to you to follow your heart, your GPS.
Birds do not worry when they fly. They simply fly.
3. Discard Virtual Reality
We all have a picture of what success looks like. Or what it should look like.
We’re programmed by TV, case studies, blogs, and society in general.
However, your path has nothing to do with what people have done. You are you. This is your life. Your path.
The sooner you discard the virtual reality in your head, the sooner you can embrace where you are.
This is not about adopting a defeatist attitude. This is about stepping out of your head, and into reality.
See, feel, hear, smell, and taste life. Notice when you’re pulled into the virtual reality of thought, and come back.
It is only when you start living in the present moment that you can move forward.
The only thing that matters is following what makes your heart sing. And you do that by starting where you are with what you have.
But Surely We Must Plan?
This is not about discarding thinking altogether. This is about discarding thinking that isn’t useful, which funnily enough is most of it.
Plan if it feels alive to you. Figure things out if it is practical.
If you’re honest with yourself, you will discover that most thinking is unnecessary and simply an escape.
Don’t worry if you don’t do this perfectly. You will go back and forth. And it will likely come in the form of exhaustion with thinking. That is the first step. You are becoming aware of what’s going on.
And to be honest, what I say doesn’t matter. Follow your heart. Follow your excitement. That is what I keep saying in every article and video.
Your path is already here. No searching is needed. Only a recalibration of where you get your marching orders.
Takeaway
To have a path is an idea.
Purpose is an idea.
What if you let go of all these ideas and simply noticed what makes you come alive?
Yes, it may be scary at first, but this is how life has always been. Thoughts have never touched reality. They have always been an overlay, like a a filter over a photo.
This has never been about finding anything, but about noticing that you have everything you need to take the next tiny step.
There is no rush. No need to quit your job, to be famous, or to be successful. Accept where you are.
Work with what you have.
And listen to what feels alive, magnetic, exciting, fascinating.
Start your journey. Do what you can. Drop all expectations, because you do not know where life will take you.
And if you do not resonate with what I have written, put a filter on it, and throw it in the trash.
Enjoy,
Henri
P.S. Dive Deeper with My Book
If you feel ready to take the next step, check out my book Do What You Love, which will help you remove the obstacles that stand in your way. Note that the above link is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I get a small percentage of any purchase you make with no added cost to you. Thank you in advance!
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