Veering off Path

We are all on this windy path that we call life. The path keeps us grounded. It keeps us focused. It keeps us committed to staying on it to get where we want to go. Following the path and staying on it can lead to a lot of good outcomes both personally and professionally. Especially when the summit that includes your goals, and what you want your life to look like, is in clear view on the horizon. Follow that Yellow Brick Road and you will find Oz.

As far as my path goes, several years ago I felt like I was anywhere but on it. I took every detour, every alternate route, and all the chances to get distracted by the things that were not helping me become my best self both personally and professionally. I needed a reset. I needed someone to GLUE my feet to the path so I would stay on it no matter what life threw at me.

After a few years of really facing myself through much self reflection, coaching, and finding my purpose, I started to stay on the path again. (Even without gluing my feet to it! :) If you picture a beautiful walking path with trees and grass on the sides - I equate those to my boundaries. The protectors that kept me strong, on the path, and moving forward towards that gorgeous summit.

Oz here I come.

I was feeling pretty darn good about staying true to myself, being a work in progress, keeping my forward thinking mindset, and not getting distracted from all of the things that would push me off the path. Been there. Done that. “I am a new me!” I thought. 

But recently something happened. I wouldn’t say it was a detour, but more of a “veer” off the path. I equate it to the car I drive. When I slip into another lane, it vibrates loudly and pushes me back in the lane I am supposed to be in. I am not really in that other lane fully, I just slipped into it a little bit. But the car pushes me back to where I belong with a jarring vibration; and of course for the sake of my safety, and the safety of everyone around me, I comply. 

A veer is defined as “a sudden change in direction.” And much like my car’s “veering” safety feature, this is synonymous with something that happened in my life recently. 

I veered. And I didn't even see it coming.

So here we go. This “veer.” It was something I used to do that I stopped doing. I won’t go into the details of what it was; and from the outside looking in it probably wouldn't even be considered a big deal. But something fledged me full force into doing this again for a sudden, small amount of time. It was so sudden that when it happened, I recognized it pretty quickly and scrambled to get back on the path as fast as I possibly could. 

But when I got back on the path after this quick veer, I didn’t feel the same. I didn’t feel as sure in myself. I felt anxious. Disappointed in my veer. I mean “ I KNOW BETTER, RIGHT?" I had a few sleepless nights. So one night at 2:30am I wrote a note to myself. I gave myself grace for being a human being who is going through a lot, and who juggles a lot for others everyday. I reminded myself, in this note, how far I have come, and how the best is yet to come. That the path is still there, and I merely have to get back on it. I then went back to bed, felt rested and sure of who I am, and clear on what I needed to continue to do.

Coincidentally, this veer only rooted me deeper in my purpose, and solidified further how important it was for me to keep going on my path. After a few rough days, I felt more sure of what I needed to do, and what is necessary to get there. I wrote to myself “Nothing is more important than THIS.” And next to it was a list of my goals, with the path to get there. I have looked at this note to myself every day since.

Even though we are IN the “most wonderful time of the year,” it isn’t wonderful for everyone. It can be stressful, lonely, and create many distractions that can keep us from moving towards what we want. So guess what? Veers are going to happen. And when they do, giving yourself grace, picking yourself up, and remembering that the path is still there is important. You just have to get back on it, and re-commit yourself to why you are on it in the first place. 

So check in on your friends, your colleagues, their neighbors, and let them know veering is normal; and it can actually help us be even more committed to the beautiful path to ourselves and the life we are meant to live.