Should You Reroute or Recommit?

Why settle for a life you like when you can have a life you love? What’s holding you back from reaching out with both hands to grab hold of your dreams? Maybe you can’t put your finger on it. You might even have begun to think that the impediment isn’t something you can resolve. You wonder if maybe your aim was off the mark and the reason you can’t bring to life the world you’ve envisioned for yourself is that you’ve gotten it all wrong. Before you give up on those plans, let’s talk.

Maybe You’re Right

Sure, it’s possible you’ve been focused on something that’s not your true calling. It’s easy to start heading down a path we think we’ve been destined for, especially when we don’t take stock of our passions and our talents before we set out on our way. It’s also possible that the path you’ve been on was absolutely the right one when you started your journey, but you’ve reached a fork in the road and it’s now time to chart a new course. Either way, if you want to trade in a life you like for the life you love, take time now to evaluate where you are and where you want to be.

Reroute

Okay, so you’ve gotten off course at some point. Now what? It doesn’t really matter how you ended up on this detour from your original plan. You’re here now and that’s okay. For one thing, it’s never too late to flesh out what a life you’ll love will look like. As you grow, the things that fulfill you evolve. It’s not only acceptable to re-evaluate and redefine your goals, it’s necessary! If that’s where you find yourself right now, recognize it as the wonderful opportunity that it is. Second, everything you’ve done before this pivot is valuable. Changing course does not mean that the growth you’ve achieved prior was for naught. There are important lessons you can glean from it all and use to grow forward. Take the time to take measure of the experience, skills, and talents you’ve honed during this previous season of life and look for ways to apply them to what comes next.

But what if you were wrong, or rather, what if you’ve been right all along?

It’s also quite possible the stars have actually aligned. You may be on the right path. You may be moving in the direction you want to, just not as quickly as you had been planning. You may have gotten bogged down in the process and lost sight of the finish line. The process of defining the life you’re running toward can help you refocus and see that you’re well on your way.

Recommit

Take a deep breath and recommit to your destination. When our path is a long one, it can be easy to get caught up in the details and miss the big picture. Take stock of not just where you’re headed, but also where you’ve been. Celebrate the milestones you’ve passed. Appreciate the growth you’ve experienced. Honestly evaluate your game plan and make adjustments where you need to, especially if you feel like you’ve slowed or stalled a little on your way to your destination.

Consider a tour guide

I get it. Sometimes it’s hard to get a clear view of our own path. If you’re feeling a little lost, a mentor or coach can help you honestly take stock of where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow. There are also books and other evaluation tools that can help you get on the right track. For example, my book, Love Your Life: Cultivating Your Vision and Tending Your Dreams,” contains details on how to identify your wish list and how to sculpt the landscape of your life to bring that list to fruition.