Taking a lively interest in your own unfolding

The problem with a path is, it’s required to be narrow. 

It’s in the job description. Paths have borders and restrictions and rules about where we can and cannot travel. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a path. 

To me, that’s dangerous. Because the path hypnotizes us into the belief that our life is limited. It destroys the sheer thrill of not knowing what is going to happen next. And it keeps us from taking a lively interest in our own unfolding. 

And so, a more realistic and interesting word might be field. Because as opposed to a path that’s been beaten and formed and trodden by the feet of others, a field is an expanse of open ground. 

A field is panoramic. A field is open to the complete possibility of what might be. It just sounds so much more inspiring and organic and liberating. 

Goldberg’s superb book about cracking open the writer’s craft puts it best:

The idea of a path, getting from one place to another, is probably an illusion. Mostly there is a process of unfolding, and at the end a person turns around and sees the design of their life and calls it a path. There is no clear passage. 

This is an invitation for each of us. Not to lock ourselves into one way of living and working, but to remake ourselves as we grow and as the world changes. 

To evaluate new opportunities as they present themselves. To take a lively interest in our own evolution. And to keep saying yes to every single tiny clue of mysterious curiosity that we notice around us. 

Who knows? That field might lead us somewhere more interesting than anything we could have even imagined while on the path. 

And we won’t have to feel guilty or beat ourselves up for veering off of it. 

Philippe was right when he said, for the real traveler there is no path.

LET ME ASK YA THIS...

By moaning about what path you thought you wanted, are you missing out on what is unfolding before your eyes?    * * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!

Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.

Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs.