Caught in the Rat Race

Blindly Following a Path

Some days it can feel like you're a lab rat, running on a wheel to nowhere.

You have probably you set your sights on a destination and are now blindly rushing along the path toward getting there. You are motivated and certain of your journey, so you just go go go.

We all do it. We are so sure we are going in the right direction, we don’t take the time to notice where we actually are.

A couple of weeks ago, I walked a labyrinth. It was a very simple labyrinth and I had seen it and walked through it before. It was basically just some stones in a circle on the ground. Easy to get through. I was sure I was headed to the center of it so I just walked blindly. Half way through, I realized the path didn't lead to the center. Instead, I was being taken to an exit at the other side. I wanted to be in the middle though, didn't I? I certainly had thought that was where I was going when I started walking.

I had a choice to make. I could keep following the path and end up somewhere I hadn't expected, or I could make my own path in order to reach my original destination. Both options had plenty of benefits plus a plethora of exciting possibility. If I hadn’t looked up, I never would have been able to make that choice.

This experience got me thinking about how many times I have bulldozed my way through life. Here's one example that is ingrained in many of us from a very young age. Go to school, get good grades, go to college, pick a career, get a job, stay in that job, retire with a good pension.

How many of us end up in jobs we hate, doing things we aren't passionate about, merely because we set out with a goal to get there? I personally have and I have watched many of my friends and loved ones suffer the same fate. They don't all know they are suffering though. They complain and feel miserable sometimes but justify their feelings as a necessary evil. What would happen if they allowed themselves to open their eyes to the myriad of possibilities out there?

Taking a leap is scary. I've written a separate article all about that.

Do you know what's even more scary to me? Not knowing there is a leap you can take.

I started this year working at a job I thought was checking off most of the boxes on my list. Good salary, good benefits, potential for growth, room for creativity. There was something missing, but I was determined to make it work. Then COVID-19 hit and I was furloughed. All of the sudden, my job was gone. I had to open my eyes and take a look around me. What I saw was initially pretty shaky. That's what happens during a lifequake.

Once I made it through the shock of what had happened, my life started to transform into everything I had always dreamed it would be. I was gifted the opportunity to pursue my purpose and passion. I was given the time to slowly build myself up. This blog and my business exist because of this complete shake to my existence, and I couldn't be happier.

If you're feeling like you're doing something because you "should" be doing it, take some time to think about what you actually want to be doing. While you think about it, you might see things about your situation that were hiding in plain sight.

In short, life is full of lessons and opportunities. You just need to open your eyes to them.