Choosing A Path
Earlier this year, my wife and I were able to get away to Sedona, AZ for a day of hiking and then relaxing at a hotel for the evening.
Sedona is a scenic place with its towering red rock formations and many other natural wonders, including slide rock and Oak Creek. Unfortunately, it’s also become much more of a tourist trap these days.
It can be difficult to choose a good hiking trail—there are so many options, and many of them have limited parking these days.
Without thinking about it too much, we just chose one that wasn’t too far from the hotel and wasn’t one of the popular trails.
As I walked it, enjoying the views and the rare time alone with my wife, I thought, “There really isn’t a bad trail in Sedona, so long as you can get on it.”
Sure, there are the stand-out landmarks and historic sights. Sure, there might be some hidden gems most people don’t tell you about. But really, so long as you’re moving with your feet on the ground and there’s some nice rocks around, you really can’t lose.
Creativity, and even life, can be like that.
There’s plenty of impressive things you could be doing right now. And maybe you should be doing one of those things. Or maybe not. But how can you be sure anything you try will be the right thing?
These days we have so many options and opportunities, it’s overwhelming. And they’re only increasing.
That’s why the first step can be the hardest but also the most important.
What’s more important is that you start somewhere, get moving, and enjoy whatever sights you happen to discover.
I’m not saying all paths are equal (I certainly don’t think that’s the case on a spiritual level) but when it comes to getting started on a project, choosing a path toward a specific goal, or just taking up a hobby going somewhere is significantly more effective than going nowhere.
There’s a few reasons why choosing a less than perfect path is better than no path at all:
Just by going somewhere you’re making progress, as opposed to standing still.
Whatever happens, it’ll be a learning experience, which will lead to growth (if you let it). The only lesson from doing nothing is: do something.
You never know what new opportunities might arise or new connections you will form, whether that’s meeting new people, making new discoveries, or finding other paths you hadn’t known about previously.
Even if a path doesn’t take you where you expected, it can create clarity about where you’d like to head next, making the next decision that much easier.
Making any decision and acting on it leads to boldness. The reverse is also true. As Publilius Syrus said, “Valor grows by daring, fear by holding back.”
It may be helpful to remember that not everyone has the luxury of many paths to choose. In some cases, there is almost no choice.
A variety of choices is something to be thankful for, even if it can also be a deterrent.
When struggling to make a choice, here are a few methods I use:
What have other people whom you know and trust done? Is there a good reason to follow (or not follow) in their footsteps?
What are you already most familiar with and what can you do that’s close to that while still offering something new to discover?
What excites you the most?
What do you think you could find the most resources for or get the most help with if you need it?
While it's natural to feel unsure or afraid of making the wrong choice, it’s even worse to look back with regret from never having tried.
Even when things don’t go according to plan (pretty much a guarantee no matter what path you’re on), that makes for the best sorts of adventures.
