Keeping Yourself On The Right Path When You Come To A Crossroads.

When the yellow brick road of your life splits into two different directions what do you do?

For those that know me the best you know that I absolutely detest The Wizard of Oz after being in the show my sophomore year of high school. After three months of rehearsals for what was suppose to be a one weekend (Thursday – Saturday performance) what those of us found that were in it is that it turned out to be a several week long production that became exhausting, and still to this day I still can not sit through the movie because, I along with everyone else in the cast got completely burnt out from it.

That is besides the point though – Life will lead us down paths that bring us to a crossroad, and when that happens you have no idea what way to turn. Your gut tells you to go one way, your head tells you to go another, and yet, here you are standing right in the center of it all with a decision to make – a decision that is far from easy.

So, how do you get yourself back on the right path once this happens?

1. Give up on the lie that says that you have to be who people expect you to be. – No one is perfect, and if anyone knows what it is like to feel like you have to live up to unrealistic expectations that have been set by other people it is the person writing this. Eventually what will happen is you will become so burnt out by trying to appease everyone around you that you will check out, and stop caring. Depression, Anxiety, and even Paranoia are very real, and they are all the results of trying to live to appease. Break the cycle, and be who you are meant to be. You are uniquely made, and powerful in yourself. You are enough, you just have to come to a place where you believe it.
2. Don’t beat yourself up for not being perfect. – There will always be a part of ourselves that lies to the rest of us. Call it Satan, call it the enemy, call it letting your head over power your spirit what you call it doesn’t matter as long as you recognize it for what it really is. Not a single one of us are perfect, and anyone who expects you to be is living a lie of unrealistic expectation that they need to deal with in themselves. As long as you recognize that you are not perfect, own up to the mistakes of your past, and work on changing those things you are showing your lovers, and haters alike that you are not opposed to growth, change, and walking in humility rather than your own ego.
3. Give up your regrets, and disappointments – Again, not a single one of us are perfect. When we make a mistake we can either sit around and hate on ourselves which only speaks negativity into the universe or, we can rise above those mistakes, disappointments, and pain in order to grow. The choice is yours but, do you see it for what it really is?
4. Give up toxicity, and negativity.– One of the hardest moments that I ever faced in my life was the moment that I realized that I had to walk away from what should have been my own safe haven to have peace. When those who are trying to control you will not relent, when those who have hidden motivations, and expectations that do not line up with your goals, your walk, and the path that your spirit is leading you down which is your souls journey what will inadvertently happen is you will realize that you are meant for more than the toxicity and negativity that other peoples negativity, and choices bring into your life. Believing in yourself, believing in the higher good, believing in the fact that you are meant for more than whatever your present negative condition is, is the first step. Do you think packing a car with a 70 year old man, quitting my job where my boss was the teacher that I had the most respect for in high school, and who was presently going out of his way to get me a promotion because, he knew my potential, he knew my character, he knew my integrity, and he knew my passion, and wanted to see me thrive, and shine, and having no where to go, while knowing I was about to come back to Georgia, and re-face all of the things that a part of me didn’t want to re-face was easy? To get back here, and have my heart either broken or shattered (still trying to figure out which it is) 5 days after I got back, to then face a series of life altering events that left me sitting in a pile of my own ashes for months with no end to it in sight, living with people that turned out to be my worst nightmare come true, to find out that there still wouldn’t be peace, and the cycle would just keep continuing – and still hasn’t changed? It wasn’t easy, it still isn’t, and yet the process has taught me who my real friends are in a way that I never knew before, and the lessons in the midst of a lot of loss, hurt, insecurity, and fear are lessons that I am beyond grateful for regardless of how hard that they have been for me to learn.
5. Give up thinking that Jane’s life is perfect. – People put on a very good show when they are around other people. People want you to think that their life is perfect, people want you to think that all is well, and they do not struggle with anything on a day to day basis. Life has taught me that, that is the furthest thing from the truth, and it is most often the people who pretend that their life is perfect, and they do not struggle or battle anything that are hurting the most. We typically push away what it is that we truly need the most. Pride always comes before the fall. Just remember that.
6. Give up wanting to match Sally. – Sally’s journey is not your journey. Sally’s career isn’t your career. Sally’s soul walk, and path isn’t your walk, and path, and once you realize that things begin to change because, you realize that you are on a mission, and that mission is your souls higher purpose. Learn what that purpose, and path is, and embrace it in a way that is not toxic to you.
7. Give up over-thinking and worrying about everything. – I am so far beyond guilty of this that it isn’t funny. I worry, and I worry a-lot. I get myself in a lot of unnecessary trouble because, I focus to much, and to hard on things that I should let go of, I focus in my lowest, and highest vibrations on things that I really do not have any control over, and yet what this has taught me is that over thinking, and worrying doesn’t change anything. Actions speak louder than words, living out our unique lives is what is necessary, and what others do, and say as a result is on them, not on us. So what is the point in lowering our own frequencies over things that we can not change?
8. Give up believing you aren’t strong enough to take another step forward. – I have said this recently myself, and in all honesty given the circumstances for what they were it really was the truth. I wasn’t strong enough, and yet, what I realized is that I was being taught a lesson in humility that forced me to embrace the reality that sometimes even when it is the last thing that you want to do you do not have a choice but, to ask for help, and sometimes you will find yourself pleasantly surprised at the response that you get when you do. The truth is, is even when you find yourself asking for help you are refusing to stay stagnant, and you are forced to take another step forward.

If you take away from this post any one thing let it be that final point that I discussed above because, sometimes it is ourselves that get in our own way. Sometimes it is our unbelief in ourselves, and our own power that hinders us from walking on our own life’s path in the way that we are suppose to be walking it for the reasons that we are suppose to walk it which you may or, may not know. Time tells us what that purpose is but, it is up to us whether or not we want to continue on, on that path however, cause and effect tells us that if we choose to say no to what our purpose is then we may be adversely effecting the path of another, and sending them down a path on that yellow brick road that leads to a darkness that they can not find their way out of.

What are you holding on to right now that is holding you back while leaving you stagnant? Is there something you need to let go of, give up or, possibly even right the wrong of before you (and or possibly another) can move forward again? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts and opinions?