Forging our own path
After lunch I went for a very autumnal walk in my local woods. The air was chilly, even through several layers and gloves and I definitely needed my hot chocolate when I got home.
I’ve been walking here for years and know it well but the recent winds have brought down nearly all the leaves and they have covered the paths. There’s also been some woodland management since I last visited, with bracken and brambles cut back so I could no longer see my usual way.
Not to be defeated by the changes, I carried on walking, even if it was a bit different to usual. Some paths were new to me. Sometimes, I had to forge our own. Yes there were a few dead ends and u-turns but I still had a lovely walk in the fresh air, through crispy leaves and soaked in the season.
It got me thinking.
In life we’re often put on paths not of our own choosing. Perhaps we’ve fallen into a job and stayed there longer than we intended, maybe we got into a group that doesn’t share our values or it might be that we feel we need to do what society or family things we should.
It can be scary to forge our own way, even turning from what is familiar, but it can also be very necessary. Like flowers planted in the wrong soil, we can also wither in environments that aren’t suited to us. We thrive best when our needs are met, when our values are respected and our strengths used. We get more out of life and the people and projects around us benefit too as we are more productive and more engaged.
Whilst there’s no need to wait for a specific date to start something new, it is usually as we approach the darker months, Christmas and New Year, that people often start thinking about what they want to do next. This makes it the perfect time to reflect on what has gone well, what could have gone better and what you want to leave behind before planning the next steps.
You don’t need to get it right first time. As someone with a scientific background and outlook I’m all for trying something, looking at how it goes and trying something else or tweaking if needed. Just like the dead ends I took in the woods today, you can adjust your course when necessary. You can step over brambles, clamber over fallen logs, go round muddy patches or even turn back.
If you’re ready to forge a new path, to find a new destination but don’t want to go it alone, or don’t know where to start, then coaching might be just what you need. See how we can work together here and if you’d like to be guided through some reflections before looking to the future, then download Your Reflections Journal.
