Choice of Paths

Over the last several months, I have been faced with making decisions about where I am heading in my career path. There has been a lot of wrestling with what fits and what doesn't.  Through the help of my personal coach, the prayers of my inner circle, and the guiding of God's Spirit, many things are clearer now.  What I am looking for is a path that will bring joy and fulfillment for the time and energy that I put into it along with a stream of income.  It is a path that allows me to unleash the creative side of my being while not being under the thumb of a boss.

Looking back over my life, the times that I had opportunity to create and lead something that I created, gave me the greatest joy.  Those times when I was being pushed back into a box was when I felt frustrated and resisted the pushing.  Those were the times I knew I had to get out.

A few months back, I thought I knew what path I was to walk. I was looking forward to helping with the creation phase of something new, something significant, something that would change the lives of so many people.  It looked much like this path here:

 

The path was laid out before me, an easy one to choose.  It looked as if it was leading to wide open space and opportunity.  It even looked as if God had laid the path down for me to walk. But I as I looked further down the path, I noticed there was a desert, a barren land.  This is not to say that what I would have accomplished as I went down this path would have been wasted, but I think I would have come up dry and thirsting for something more on the personal side. What I began to realize, the path above was starting to look more like this:

 

Although the path is clearly marked out, I was already feeling boxed in by the walls.  For someone who likes to have room to stretch and create, I recognized this path was too confining for me. I know that others may have thought this was the one I could and should take, and I may have helped them fulfill their dream as I followed.  Undoubtedly, I would have helped make a difference in people's lives as I went along.  But eventually, I would have found myself facing the same thing I have in the past.  I would be wanting to get out and this search would repeat itself.

What I am looking for is a path like this:

 

There is a lot of unknown in this path. Where does it lead? What does it look like around the bend? It is one not traveled that often as it isn't worthy of paving and grass grows in the middle.  But as I look in the distance, there are opportunities to head out to sea or climb mountains or set up camp in the forest ahead.  There is so many choices to create a future that will be refreshing and filled with joy.  I may even have to carve out my own path to get where I want to go.  Therein lies the challenge and the excitement.

What is the path that will bring fulfillment to my labor? I am still not sure. All I know is, I need to strive to do something of significance with my life and my calling.  The path may not be laid out for me, but given the freedom to create my path brings greater joy than settling for a path that will lead me to a desert regardless of the good that will happen along the way.  Perhaps this is the right time to strike out on my own and create.  What I do know is, at the end of the path, I will feel as I have been blessed by God to do something significant in this world and will have an inner peace and joy that far surpasses that of any other path I could choose.  The time has come to head down this road and see what lies ahead.