We always have the choice to see things from a different perspective.
The other day while I was walking, I knew I was going to get lost, but I let it happen. There's something about getting lost that makes me reflect on my life and my thoughts about certain things. Get lost happens when we can’t reach our intended destination, often because we can’t find the right path to take. Or we think we’re on the right path, but somehow the route turns out to be beyond our expectations.
When we get lost, we pause. We re-check the map to make sure we’re still on the right track. Other times, we might ask someone else to show us the right direction. Now I just wonder, do I implement this in my real life? Did I pause when I get lost on my journey? Did I re-check my map to make sure I’m still heading towards the life that I genuinely want? Or do I just blame myself for everything, without re-questioning if the value I’ve carried along the way have changed?
In general, being lost in life is challenging. But not knowing what’s going on in your mid-20s is a different story. While many agree that 20s are a decade of confusing almost everything, and giving advice to not stress about it too much, but when experiencing it in the moment sometimes can feel like I will stuck there forever. That mindset is dangerous, believing that the current situation will never change–that I’ll never be in a better place in this life.
When we get lost, we know we have the option to continue the journey by trying different routes that possibly lead us to our destination. But there’s other option that I feel like it rarely discussed.. is to turning around. When we don’t know where to go next, or confused about which route we should take, we always have the option to step back and start all over again.
I wish it’s easier to do than just saying it. On the other hand, deciding to turn around and passing the same route that has been passed, might seems pointless–a waste of time and simply useless. But what I’ve come to realize is, when we turn around, doesn’t it mean we can see the landscape differently? We can see things from the other side of the route–the perspective that we may not have had the chance to see before.
On our way, we can re-check our map again and again, to see if we are still heading where we are supposed to be going? Perhaps we're lost not because we took a wrong step, but because we didn't realize that our destination had changed, and therefore we should have taken a different path. For me, those reflections helping me to understand where I stand in the moment. Just take some times to see what’s around me, then decide which route should I take next. Even if i get lost again, I’ll find a different perspective to keep going, right?
Getting lost might be a sign for some redirection. A necessary process we have to experience to see the journey of life a bit more clearly with fresh eyes. What do you think?