You’ve been walking on this same road for a large part of your life. One day, darkness overtakes you, and you lose your bearings. You now can’t find your way in the dark that has overwhelmed you. You suddenly realised that you were totally lost. You are caught in a fog.
You have lost count of the sunrises you’ve watched on nights where sleep escapes you. Yet there are moments when it doesn’t seem like any time has passed at all. It seems more like time has stopped, simply frozen. You have lost your way. Your mind is empty, as is the rest of you.
The feeling of losing your way causes immense distress. You have lost your sense of direction and don’t know where you want to go. But there’s nothing stopping you from picking yourself up again! If you feel like you’re off track, now is the perfect time for you to gather your thoughts and move forward again. This is perfectly achievable, but you must be willing to give it your all.
You have a choice, either to rise above your challenges and live up to your fullest potential, or allow your life to stay in turmoil.
Be honest with yourself, you know deep inside that you haven’t done your greatest work yet, you know you can make a difference in the world and all you have to do is find your way.
Right now your life feels like it’s not moving forward, your career is slipping through your fingers, your relationships are stagnant, you have reached a point where you need to change direction.
Realizing that you are the only one that could find your way out is scary.
In my article Embrace the Journey … Stop and Smell the Roses I say that the path we walk on this road of life is uncertain. It is full of mystery and takes us on a journey, a long and winding road, with many experiences waiting for us. As Ralph Waldo Emerson says “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Yet life can be difficult to navigate sometimes, and we just don’t know what to do or which way to turn. It’s so easy to get lost and be scared to take a wrong step.
People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates. Thomas Szasz.
When we feel that we are not on the right track we will always be uncomfortable, there will be tension between our body, mind and soul and we know within ourselves that we must make major changes in our lives to get back on track.
So when you feel lost it’s your wake up call for you to reawaken yourself to the greater possibilities that await you. Sometimes it’s necessary for your life to change in some ways to get you back on your true life path, even if it causes disruption.
I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of. Michel de Montaigne
So now take the time to think about your life and what you want to change You must devote the time to discover why you currently feel lost or are unsure if you are on the right path.
Ask yourself these big questions about your life.
Ask Yourself “What do you want in your life?”
Ask Yourself “What matters most to you right now?”
Ask Yourself “Where do you want to go from here?”
Ask Yourself “Who Am I?”
Ask Yourself “What Do I Love To Do?”
Ask Yourself “What Experiences In Life Were Really Fulfilling For Me?”
Ask Yourself “What Is My Purpose In Life?”
Ask Yourself “What Am I Afraid Of?”
Ask Yourself “How Do I Put My Purpose In Place?”
Ask Yourself “What’s holding me back?”
Now once you’ve looked at these questions, and found some answers, ask yourself these final three:
Ask Yourself ” Why am I here?”
Ask Yourself ” What did I come here to accomplish?”
Ask Yourself ” What gifts and talents did I bring with me to accomplish my mission?”
No longer allow yourself to be lost, find the direction that’s closer to your true self and get on that path?
Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. Henry David Thoreau
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Serious question i need to ask myself…another year of my life is just about to get over,,,and I need to know as to where I stand..I yet have a long way to go before I reach my destination…my goals.”I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of.”…..UNANSWERED QUESTIONS STILL LINGERING…I have to make the coming year a better one..
Alpana you know I’m addicted to quotes, especially quotes about change. They are inspiring, motivating and they have the power to provoke new thought.
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” – Benjamin Spock
It can take a while to find your passion, but when you do find it, it’s your … It’s a
part of life, so stop running away from it and start running towards it.
This is a hard hitting post Larry. So many questions that I shy away from. There are times I feel I am making progress and then there are those days that I feel I am lost and directionless. Thank you for sharing this
Rimly, you just have to keep re-setting your target, and make sure you’re moving ahead. When you feel that you’ve been knocked off your right path, stop, readjust and move back to where you want to be. You are in control.
These are the questions that we hardly ask ourselves.In the long run sometimes I found myself directionless.As you said When we feel lost it’s our wake up call to reawaken to the greater possibilities.It’s the time to get more organized and then start again.Another super awesome post Larry.
Abhisek thank you for a great comment. Lacking direction can be a common problem particularly when you reach a cross-road in life and are completely undecided as to where to go next. This is the time you have to ask yourself the right questions
Good questions, Larry. I also really like the quote about how we don’t find ourselves, we create ourselves. So true.
Rachel – that means that you can be anything you put your mind to because there is no doubt from reading your blog, you can create magic.
Hi Larry,
I think a lot of people don’t even realise the cause of their apathy and discontent; so many never ask themselves these questions, instead they just continue to walk in darkness, feeling the pain but doing nothing about it.
I only wish everyone would at least try to move out of the dark and into the light. If you ask and don’t receive an answer you can go and find help. There is another way.
Lia – “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” –Naguib Mahfouz. Our brains flourish when we ask the right questions. They have the power to move us and to find the answers we need on life’s journey.. They drive our growth, fueling our passions and thoughts.
I changed my life in some ways but reaching the end of one road and jumping into the scary world of higher education at the age of 34 now look at me earning twice as much (still a pittance) and pushed and tested at work (which I moan about but love)
Charles – we know that inside of you is a passionate, strong, go getter. I truly believe what Charles wants, Charles can get!
This is a powerful post, Larry, and resonates with a lot of people, including me. The questions are difficult. I’ve run into roadblocks where once I was full of passion for what I do, but hit wall after wall along the way, leaving me questioning what I am doing. Sometimes it feels like I’m being tested. I will have to take a look at your questions in earnest and face some interesting and difficult answers. Thank you for a thoughtful and hard-hitting message. ~ Suerae
Suerae – you are most welcome and thank you for giving me the inspiration for my next post. One of the most powerful ways for us to restock our energy and replenish our passions is to ask ourselves quality questions. Your mind will dig deep to find answers. I strongly believe that every month we should go within ourselves and reflect on where we are and where we want to go.