It seems like every time I think I’m at a point where I can adjust and move forward in earnest, something comes down and knocks me off track.  Tripped up and confused, once again, I have to fight my way through confidence booby-traps and fearsome self-doubt, spitting excuses out of my mouth, just to scramble back up to a place where I can see my way again.  But, the route is unfamiliar!  It’s not even close to what I had settled into.  I have to be a mental mountaineer to start over on the new path ahead of me…  Life continually tries to remind me that “YOU” can’t be extraordinary.  So, what’s the point anyway?  This experience has to be the point.  There’s got to be something I’m learning here…

I enjoy hearing people tell stories of their journeys.  I read about the lives of creative minds that endure unimaginable obstacles to get where they want to be.  Sometimes its just the tale told along the way that is captivating.  Who cares where you end up, just let us know how you got there!  It takes courage to blaze a trail others can follow.  Even if we just watch from the sidelines, the trail leaves its mark on our hearts.

When you have a goal set, just stick to it.  Don’t quit until you accomplish what you set out to do.  Dig your heels in and be prepared.  God knows the naysayers will come out in force to try to bully you down to complacency.  Trailblazers are a terror to the lazy and indifferent.  It is so much easier to give up than to try again.  Don’t dare think you can be or do something bold or trendsetting or unique.  It’s all been done before and YOU can’t make a difference.  Blah, blah, blah…

Where are the Frederick Douglas’, the Preston Tuckers, the Emily Dickinson’s in this new age of social media and personal estrangement?  We need to remember their fearless dedication despite opposition to convince us again and again that anything we believe we can do is possible.  We can do the impossible if we put our minds and our whole heart to the work.  Nobody can create our life like we can.

There are great models right before us if we look for them.  The household names are not the only heroes.  You only have to look beyond your own fears to see others who have overcome theirs. Seek these mentors out.  Get them on your team.  Who can’t use a cheering section once in a while?  For many, it’s the opportunity to share their story with an attentive listener that brings a measure of joy supplied by no other means.  We all need and want to be teachers.  Everything and everyone can teach you something.  Not just knowledge; but insight, compassion, and the wisdom needed to walk as fulfilled, enlightened beings who encourage peace.  Life can bring happiness.

I want to believe in what I am here for.  I’m a creative on the edge.  Can I make a difference that lasts beyond my meager life?  Am I on a path that leads to a shared experience that is deep and profound, beyond explanation?   Not everyone is here to promote peace in their realm, and we learn from even those who oppose us.  The myriad of choices that we make moment by moment teach us everything we need to know about who we are now.  We can’t concern ourselves with understanding someone else and their role in our journey, we grow and evolve by understanding ourselves.

When fate casts you onto new terrain, seek the safety of your own faith and the peace that comes from knowing there is nothing that happens to us that doesn’t bring us closer to where we need to be.  If we had to learn from past choices to choose wisely today, then so be it.  Don’t fear taking turns or starting over, just keep your eyes on your purpose.   The uncharted path is the reason for continuing.  It will wake us up to what we all have in common.  The journey belongs to all of us.  We create it together.