Many people are drawn to the idea of the path of least resistance. They want the diet that tells them what to eat and gets them results. They want the religion that tells them the way to live to get into paradise. They want the good leader who tells them what to do and takes care of them. They want the spouse that makes life perfect and easy. They want the social recipe that will yield them the love of everybody around them.
Those paths and the promises they make are so common and so alluring. They tend to be purported as well-travelled and guaranteed to have a positive and proven result.
But…
If those paths were really right for everybody, why isn’t there universal success? Why doesn’t everybody who does the diet become perfectly healthy? Why doesn’t everybody unanimously like any leader? Why would anybody cheat on their perfect spouse? Why doesn’t everyone love us when we follow societal norms? And come to think of it, why are there so many conflicting societal norms? Why do these common paths leave us unfulfilled to the point of deviation?
There seems to be a lot of collective time spent in the idea that there is something wrong with us and that we can’t get behind the good things everyone else has success with because we are flawed. We are not flawed. Individually, we may be different and unique, but never flawed. Our paths need to reflect how uncommon we all are. My intuition isn’t guiding me to do the same thing as the intuition of others. This isn’t an issue unless you choose to make it an issue. So what if we are all different?
Our paths are destined to wind back and forth between the common and uncommon spaces. Follow your intuition and let it guide you between the wide, crowded paths as well as the narrow and wild. Maybe there isn’t a path for where you are heading. Veer off and explore. See what’s there and if it interests you. Your values and your sense of purpose will be guideposts along your path. You are your own best guide.
If the path of least resistance was truly the best way through, why is it that people can see the path, see the destination, and still not arrive there? Because we are not all meant to get to the same destination or walk an identical path. We are meant to detour and to be drawn towards the things that call to us. Call it straying… Call it deviating… Call it exploring… Just drop the guilt and shame around the wandering that we are all created for.
We are built to wander. Trust yourself.
