Walk the Path You Choose, Not Someone Else's

We all walk the Path of life. What Path are you walking? Is it the Path you would like, or is it one chosen by someone else, possibly forced onto you? If you are like most people, it is, unfortunately, not the one of your choosing.

We are a product of our environment, or so the Sociologists and Psychologists say. It is true that we are shaped by environment, our parents, teachers, and friends. The question is, can we break from this conditioning or is it permanent? Since we have all heard the stories of those who were raised poor and became rich, or born disabled and overcame the disability, we know the answer.

One of the greatest methods to walk your Path is to plan that Path. People who seem destined to walk a Path set by someone else, do so because they fail to think outside the box they have been put in. They accept the Path placed before them and never question or envision it any differently. Those who break free, see the vision of their dreams and desires, not as some fairytale, but as something that can be achieved, something to make plans toward. Do you walk a life of no planning, or do you walk the Path you choose? Do you see your dreams as attainable, and work toward them, or mere fantasies?

Another way to ensure that you walk your own Path is to understand that your beliefs, consistent thoughts and actions determine your reality. You may plan your Path to the smallest degree and yet, if you believe that you are never going to achieve your plan, you are doomed! If you consistently think of yourself as a loser, someone who can never get it quite right, your plans will fail. Much has been said of late about quantum realities and thinking. We are what we think! We become who we believe we are. If we believe, deep down in our hearts, that we will never make it, we won’t. If we believe that we are a survivor and that nothing can defeat us, it can’t. Henry Ford said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” What do you believe?

Going along with what we believe is what we consistently think. Whatever we consistently think becomes our belief system. If you consistently think yourself incompetent, you begin to believe it. If you consistently think of yourself as changing for the better, a winner, someone who succeeds, you believe it and it happens. This is how we change our beliefs. We consistently think certain thoughts and soon, they become part of us. It is how brainwashing works. You are told over and over again that certain things are true. You think about them over and over and soon, you believe them. The wonderful thing about this is that we can change how we think. We can think positive thoughts and refuse the negative ones. Soon these thoughts become our belief system. It is possible to change our thinking, change our beliefs, but none of this does any good if we do nothing about it.

Some of the current fads in positive thinking state that all one must do to have something come true is to believe it and it will become reality! Thomas Edison, arguably our greatest inventor, said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Now I might argue that we can not have a true belief and not work on it. Beliefs have a way of causing action, but still, if there is no action, those beliefs are only wishes and dreams. Some say that if we believe it enough, God, or the Universe will make it happen. I like the old story about the farmer who was told by someone that he had a beautiful farm. The farmer agreed. The other person said that God had really blessed him. The farmer replied that they should have seen the place when God had it by himself! Or how about the old saying that goes, God made a lot of marble, but never made a statue. If we want our beliefs to become reality, we had best be ready to roll up our sleeves and work. How do we work at it? Read the above section! We plan, we move, we revise, we move, it isn’t that hard. You might say you have no idea how to do what you want to do. Unless you are mentally challenged, you can learn. Read about it, take courses, try something and if it doesn’t work, try something else. It is said that Edison tried ten thousand way to make the light bulb before he succeeded. Edison had a very limited formal education; but he knew how to try, how to work.

How does your Path look? Is it what you want in this life or could it be something different? If it needs to change, try these two simple steps and see if things don’t begin to change. No one who has honestly done these two methods for any appreciable length of time has failed to cause positive change.