“…far better to live your own path imperfectly than to follow another’s imperfectly.” – Bhagavad Gita
It’s not always easy to blaze your own trail. People worry you’re losing it. Heck! If you’re being honest, there’s a part of you that worries you’re losing it, too. 🙃 You worry about letting your loved ones down. You don’t want to fail at life, but you also know that you can’t continue going on in this same way.
“The same way.†This same way is the way your family has done life before you and continues to this day. It’s the same way your friends plus nearly everyone you know does life. You know what I mean—it’s the proven path way.
Yet, you yearn for something different.
Is a bunch of sameness getting to you? Feel restless about your future? Do you have a vision? Do you see something different for yourself on the horizon of your life? Have you been leading a mostly decent conventional lifestyle but feeling unfulfilled even though you think you should be?
To live even a little bit off the beaten path means living outside what’s centrally popular. In other words courageous friend, you sorta kinda out there! 😘
Your dreams may be more on the unconventional side of life compared to the status quo lifestyle you’re living now. How well acquainted are you with the option of taking the road less traveled?
A unique life path awaits you. 🛤️
Dear courageous one, these are the 10 most important characteristics you need to following your own unique life path, so get out your knapsack on a stick. Let’s get going! It’s time to explore.
#1 Vision : You know there’s something calling you. You feel it stirring within. What’s your vision? What pops up in your mind’s eye when you feel that stirring sensation?
Do you see travel? Do you see a partner? Do you see a product? It’s your vision that rolls out your life path. As you have more clarity of vision, you get further along your path. 🌈
Sometimes there are periods in life when it seems our vision has gone. We don’t see anything and we may ask ourselves if we ever had the vision at all 🤔. Trust your vision. Spend time getting reacquainted with your vision. It’ll come back to you, ready to jump back into your heart; just open your arms!
You need vision in order to move along progressively. It’s like the guide you need to have by your side as you trek. Without that vision you may not have the impetus to get steppin’, let alone know where you’re going. It’s the vision that ushers the journey. So let your visions show you the way!
Even if you can only see a tiny peek of the vision, what do you see? Take some time out to see.
One way to work with your vision is to journal what comes to you. Do ideas come to you while your day dreaming or driving? Meditation helps with clarity. Spending time in nature, going out for peaceful walks and asking for clarity also helps. You can also ask your guardian angels to help you to see a more clear picture.
The most important piece of information I can give you is to be receptive and relax, allowing your mind to be clear so that it can see the full vision. I’d love to hear about your vision!
#2 Support : What or who do you think of when you think of the word, ‘Support’? Who or what helps you to bear the weight of something in a healthy positive way? Who or what helps you stay lifted? What’s there to remind you that “yes, you canâ€.
You can count on support, it’s trustworthy. It’s consistent. The support you receive is strong. It’s weight bearing. When you feel like you’re carrying the world’s weight, taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed, it’s a clear cue to open to receive support from where it comes (hey! shout out to the Great Universe 😍). It’s time to lighten your load. Support will hold you up!
Don’t feel ashamed or too prideful to be a recipient of support in all its forms. The very definition of support is to hold up and bear weight. It’s there to do that for you. So, think twice if you think you should be able to do it all yourself. Like the ebb and flow of life, there are times when you’re up and times when you’re down. It’s the natural order. Because everything is connected in our world support will be there when you need it. You may have to reach out and ask for it or it maybe it could be offered to you. It will be there. Love yourself and help yourself. Allow support to do what it does. 🙌
You hear people say, “it’s called a road less traveled for a reason!†I mean, yeah, it is less traveled … because, well, it’s not always the easiest route to take. BUT you know that already. And, that’s why my courageous friend, you are reading this post.
As you walk your unique life path, remember Support. It’s there! You’re supported, always.
#3 Big Why : Do you know your big why? The journey of following your own path can be arduous. Knowing your big why will keep you inspired and continue to drive you on your trek.
You may have seen Simon Sinek’s popular TED Talk “Start With Whyâ€. His mission is to help others do work that inspires them. He says making money is not a why, it’s a result. The ‘why’ he’s talking about is the one that asks the following:
Why do you exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief?
I just love these questions. These are questions that keep me up and keep me going. Have you asked yourself these? Got answers? If you do, I’d love to hear 👍!
Simon says finding the answer to these questions is key, because when we know the answer to these questions, they will be what drives us!
Our big why is the reason we do what we do. How do we know if it’s the right answer? It feels right. Knowing what your “big why†is and then actually articulating it will better inspire action within yourself as well as with others, like your clients, colleagues, friends or family. That’s pretty cool🌸.
If you don’t know what your big why is, treat yourself right and take the time to do so. If you have already put your why into words, the next thing is stay familiar with those words! You can frame these words or just put them up somewhere you can see them frequently.
Articulating why you exist provides a clear sense of destination with a good dose of inspiration … just what you need to keep going on your path.
#4 Hope & Belief : When I first wrote this, I didn’t pay attention to the order. I just knew that belief & hope are definite must have traits on this extraordinary journey. As I began to think about belief & hope in more detail, I realized one does come first.
First you must have hope. You start with a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. That’s hope. Then you believe a certain thing will happen.
If you’re embarking on a new direction in life or just thinking about it, you already know about hope & belief in outcomes — that is, certain things happening the way you want. I’m pretty sure you’re hoping and believing in something right now. Great! 👏 Keep it going!
It’s probably no surprise then to hear that as you follow your own path, you’ll need to continually generate hope & belief in the outcomes you desire. Why? Because these two ingredients are powerful 💥 predictors of outcomes.
But what about hope & belief in you? Not just in the outcomes…
What feelings of expectations and desire do you have of yourself? What do you hope becomes of you? For example, I hope that I may experience a greater sense of well being as I follow my path. Or I hope that I may overcome any challenges set before me as I walk my unique way.
After you assess the hope you have for yourself, move on to the beliefs you have about yourself. Do you believe in yourself? What do you believe about yourself? You’ll probably hear a doubtful little voice come up as you list your beliefs but keep going until you have 5 – 10 positive beliefs. For example, I believe I am blessed. I believe I am supported. I believe I am smart.
With hope & belief in yourself you’ll follow your unique path successfully.
When challenges come up, they help to grow and strengthen the hope & belief you have. Of course there will be challenges and obstacles, but you’ve got hope & belief in yourself! With this understanding, you’ll always overcome.
#5 Faithfulness : Do you love your dream?
Are you faithful to it? Are you dedicated to your vision?
Your vision is the imagery of your dream. The dream represents the love of a co-creative relationship between you and the great universe, the universal life force energy! The journey you’re on is the unique path you take to actualize the dream.
How do you show your love? Are you faithful to keep going as the path unfolds?
We know too well that life gets in the way. We can get pulled into lots of different directions and priorities. Because of this, practice faithfully coming back to your heart space — the place where the love for your vision lives.
Your heart is what holds the love you have for your vision. When you lose momentum, faithfully returning to your heart space will keep you going forward. This is because faithfulness is a steadfast kind of love.
Therefore to follow your unique path, faithfulness to your dreams is required.
Wait! There’s more 🙂 . For the last 5 characteristics to following your path, continue reading here
