Dear Diary: I am Lost Without a Map
How do I move forward when I don’t know where to go?
Note: I wrote this last week, when I was experiencing a period of mental limbo. I felt lost in my thoughts, and though I was trapped in my head, thinking was the only way through. I’m feeling better, but I still want to share this post in case someone somewhere will be able to relate to and maybe even benefit from the lesson I’ve learned.
The hardest part of life is not knowing.
I am living. I am trying. I am doing my best to get through. But it is hard to progress when I don’t know where to go.
As humans we will never know. We can weigh our options. We can define our aspirations, and sketch a map of the future, embroidering our goals on each step along the way. However, life’s unpredictability makes it impossible to foresee every fork in the road.
Last month I was overwhelmed by, and struggling to accept, this truth. To compensate, I pursued a number of projects that I felt would occupy my time and catalyze personal growth. I suppose subconsciously, I was trying to find a sense of direction.
I had to come to terms with the idea that I cannot know exactly where I’m going to turn up, or how I’ m going to turn out.
I realized that I don’t need to know all of the answers. All I must do is make my best effort.
The best things in life aren’t planned, but if you invest in your passions and wholeheartedly pursue your dreams, things will work out in one way or another.
As I learned, I began to reframe my goals.
Current Goals:
Read. A lot.
My goodreads account will be the most active it has been in years. I want to expand my literary horizons, and review each book I complete.
Write more.
With this goal, I aim to cultivate my writing voice and experiment with new styles. Overall: Challenge myself to grow as a writer.
Let life go.
I want to learn to accept life as it happens. Strengthening my resolve to relax, may help me escape my mind and remain in the present. Related aspiration: stress less, because not everything is worth my energy.
If you are in a similar place, you don’t feel as if you have accomplished enough for your age, or you’re not sure how to get to the next step in your journey refocus your energy. Stop obsessing over every detail. Don’t set a goal for every step along the way. Draw a rough sketch of your future plans. Create a design so vague, that you coudl pursue two different career paths and feel successful having accomplished either one. Embrace the broader picture.
I’m not sure how I’m going to get myself to naturally approach life in this way, but these goals should help me begin to find my way.
Boweled Over ← P R E V I O U S
