Lost at Last
Have you ever found yourself completely lost? You had your whole life planned out, down to each intricate detail. Everything would be perfect and you would be in control, life would be good at last. But then fate got involved, change decided to mix things up and surprise chose to upheaval your plans. Now nothing is as it was meant to be, your future feels ruined and your life an inescapable mess.
This was supposed to be the year of my life, I was going to finally begin my journey to freedom. I thought I would be exploring eastern Europe with my best friend, road tripping through west America with my family, hoping for a straight A leaving cert, packing my bags to study business and French in Trinity, celebrating my 18th birthday in Paris, dancing at Electric Picnic and living my life like a ‘normal’ teenager.
Yet here I find myself, perhaps with you, on a completely different and unexpected path. We feel like we’ve been abandoned in the middle of a large open meadow; we don’t know where to go, we don’t know which way to turn, we don’t even know right from left or up from down. We could become immensely overwhelmed at the sight of the towering trees, the cacophony of the screeching crows and the smell of the wild evergreen. We could cry with fear over how scared we are, scream in anger at the world for placing us here and faint at the thought of all the different stony routes out of this clearing. Alternatively, we could pick up the budding yellow rose next to us and smile at its intricate beauty, laugh with the rhythm of the sweet sounding swallows and gaze in awe at the infinite, deep blue sky. The choice is ours, it’s just a matter of perspective. We may feel lost, scared and confused at our own life situations but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, in fact this feeling could be the very thing that will set you and I, both, free.
In order to be found we must first be lost.
Choice
This directionless feeling paradoxically provides you with many directions in which you can go…but which one will you take? Rather than being scared of all the different crossroads and turnpikes ahead, try and get excited. You have opportunities to grab, risks to take and challenges to meet. You are the captain of your soul and that means that you have a choice. Which path will you take? Will you go to college this September or will you go volunteering in India? Will you retire after Christmas or will you start up a new business? You have so many choices and decisions to make, how liberating to know that nothing is impossible and it’s all up to you! The world is your oyster.
Chance
‘If you never try you’ll never know, if you never eat you’ll never grow’, a quote my favourite nurse once told me. You can decide to remain stuck in this feeling forever, whatever situation you find yourself in. Alternatively, you can decide to take a chance; quit the job you hate, cut out the negative friends, relocate to the mountains in Peru. However, you may still feel lost and that’s the risk you have to take. You may decide to stay in pain because it is comfortable, it’s safe to you, it’s horrible but you know every dark corner and jagged edge. Alternatively you can take a risk. You could lose it all and gain everything or you could lose it all and gain nothing. It’s the chance you have to be willing to take in which only taking it will reveal.
Change
Is this the sign you have been looking for? As humans we are constantly developing and evolving yet we often delay this because we are fearful of what others think and we are scared of failing. If you had told me a month ago that I would finally take the courage to start a blog and fulfil my dreams of helping others, I would have laughed. Things change and even better, people change! Thank God we are not confined to the people we once were, the things we once said and the ideals we once had. This lost feeling is your signal to grow, your beacon to change, your hint to transform! What are you waiting for?
So tighten up your ponytail and put on your walking shoes because your journey is just beginning! Pick a path and don’t look back (…in anger lol) and try not to sneak a glance at other people's routes either. The person next to you may be miles ahead or far behind but they too have their own bridges to cross, mountains to climb and tunnels to crawl through.
You have a choice, to take a chance, to make a change.
You have a choice, to take a chance, to make a change.
Thank you so much for reading this post, I hope what I have learned along my journey can be of some benefit to you. Please leave any suggestions or questions below in the comments section or anonymously in the ASK section of my blog. Click here to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on new blog posts. I hope you enjoyed!
lots of love & peace & happiness
Lauren x
0 comments