In the previous stage of your creativity journey you may have found yourself considering several indistinguishable paths. You experimented with each one, going down a path until it no longer served you and then retracing your steps in order to try another route. As you explored each one you became more aware of who you are as a person, what matters most to you and you began to hear your authentic voice more clearly.
In this stage on your journey, the path you are to take should now be clear. I doubt that your path is illuminated all the way to the end, however. You may have a very good idea of which road is the one that you are meant to traverse, but you may have little idea of what your route brings beyond the first few steps and that is okay. There’s no need for a detailed plan or a clear understanding of the entire journey. All that matters at this point is that you can confidently choose the path that you will walk for a while and that you take the first steps that way.
However, you may find yourself facing the Paradox of Choice. You may still see so many wonderful options that you are afraid to commit to one at the expense of others. But this is not a choice that is set in stone. You’re making a choice as a way to focus, to filter out the noise of other options so that you can give your full attention to one option. The other choices will still be here later if you want to come back to them.
Perhaps though it is not the Paradox of Choice and a fear of commitment that trouble you, but rather that you are seeking your answers in the wrong place. If you find yourself still wondering what the right path is, if you are weighing the pros and cons and considering possible obstacles and outcomes, stop. This is not a decision you will make in your mind. (This lesson took me the longest to learn. I have lived my life in my mind and didn’t even realize there was any other way. Trying to get out of my head left me blinking and baffled for quite a while.) Your mind is essential for execution. When you need to access knowledge of how to do something or you need to learn a new skill, your mind will serve you very well. But now, when you are trying to hear your authentic voice and discern the unique path only you can travel, you must listen to your heart instead. Put down the pro/con list, close your eyes, and feel where your heart leads you. Your mind is always aware of dangers and it will keep you cosseted, but your heart leads you to joy and it will never lead you astray. Listen for its guidance.
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