Today I’m going to talk about the art piece called “the Path”, an inspiration for our life journey. This is one of the signature pieces in my calligraphic art collections.
The word “Path” makes us reflect on lots of things about life. It offers us the experience of joy, wonderful discoveries and fulfillment, but not without the intertwined experience of numerous challenges, despair, and pain.
So of all the paths out there in the world, which one is yours? Well, choosing your own path isn’t always easy. Sometimes you don't know what’s right for you, especially in the times that you are in transition, are going through tough times, or when you might feel that your options are limited.
In this video, I wanted to share two tips that might guide you or help you find new perspectives in finding your own path.
Here is first one, we can often be inspired by the path of those who have been on this journey before us and found their own way, or achieved great things in life. There is so much to learn from them and the words of wisdom that they left us with. I personally experienced it many times.
I want to introduce some of my favorite sayings that helped me in the past and that I always try to keep in mind.
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional” by John C Maxwell
“Do not go where path may lead, instead, go where there is no path and leave a trail” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“When we’re tested by crisis, we either regress and fall apart, or we grow up, and find reserves of strengths and compassion we didn’t know we were capable of.” by Naomi Klein
But the fact is that these words of wisdom and encouragement are not only for those who are facing challenges or transitioning in life. They can be applied to anyone’s life, and interpreted differently in any situations … because everyone has their own unique path and unique struggle.
So the second tip that I want to share, perhaps even more important than the first one, is how to “create your own path” rather than “choosing your own path”. What does it really mean?
Well, it means that, instead just choosing what’s available on the table as options (like taking a class offered at school or getting new a job that’s available. Of course that’s awesome if that’s what you want to do), we can actually create our own path by focusing on the things you do in each day and making small changes and small effort working toward your goals.
Because whatever the goals that you have, no matter how big your future visions are, the truth is that the path toward them must be broken down into small pieces of action in our daily lives.
For some of you, it might be making one more phone call to your client at the end of the day. For some of you it may be memorizing 10 new words each day to learn a foreign language or adding 20 extra pushups to your daily exercise.
And those small decisions you make and actions that you take each moment dictate the course of the day, week, and month and, over the time, they will shape the course of your life and path that you walk on.
Going back to my art piece “The Path”, it's a powerful reminder that there is no set path for you to follow. Whatever it is that you want to do in life, so again, here is my second tip, you want to be mindful and more focused on your decision and action for each moment, the “process” of creating your own path. By doing so, you are making your own path that no one has walked before and leaving a unique trail behind us.
Here is one last quote that I wrote and would love to share.
The most strenuous paths can often lead to the most beautiful sceneries. The rewarding sight at the peak and the ultimate feeling of fulfillment are reserved for only those who go through the tough hike and didn’t quit.
I hope this video gives you food for thought and helps you find your own path in your life journey.