There Aren't Answers To Everything

Chapter 2 - What should I do?

A very common problem in the world evolves around decisions and choices. The thing that the human race hasn't yet come to realise about this is that there is more than one path in life. Yes, there are wrong paths but without taking the wrong path how can you be sure it's the right one? 

See, I very much enjoy discussing these topics. For me, looking into the psychological processes of humans is very interesting, and figuring out why we think these ways is one of the most enjoyable things. So for this chapter, I am going to answer this question: what can you do to take the right path?

To start with as I said, remember there is always more than one path. People often say things like "Ugh I have to go to work today" or "I've got to start cooking dinner". The things, this is wrong. People assume they have to do things or they have no choice in the matter,but one thing I do know is that there is always a choice. 

The reason why people think this way is because often in the back of their minds they know this is their best option, as much as they may not like it. Going to work isn't a compulsory thing, but we do it because we need money to get the things we need to survive. Therefore, we see it as something we have to do. 

But not all things carry this principle. Sometimes you will have a choice which doesn't have a good and bad option. Sometimes you can say, "I'm going to skip work today because I can get sick day pay" which in turn means there is still a good outcome to your decision.

So my first piece of advice is to never assume there is only one option. And most importantly, there is never only one right option.

Secondly, making the wrong choice can turn out for the better. If you have several options for something, taking the wrong one will actually help you more often than not. The thing is, you can't see into the future, as much as people claim they can, so your best bet is to decide on a path and do your best with it. If it doesn't go well, who knows, maybe had you gone down that path two years earlier it would have been the right one.

You may have seen someone talk about drowning in reference to this problem. Well, this is a good representation. Drowning can be horrible, painful, gruesome and terrifying. But after splashing your little hands around as a child to try and swim, you soon figure out that with slower, gentle strokes you can swim to the surface, and to float all you have to do is lie on your back. 

This can then be taken into adult life. Yes, you know how to swim by now most likely, but some things will come as a surprise to you and you won't know how to handle them. Like love for example. Love outside of it can appear very simple, and without complexity. But when you fall in love, it's like being hit by a train. 

As horrible as this sounds, the best and only true way to deal with it is to allow it to happen. If you get hit by the train, you'll learn what it's really like and you can soon figure out how to become stronger and deal with it. So, don't think that you have to be careful with everything either.

As I try to tell myself often, as I am not the type of person to take risks, you should never go to your grave with a perfect body. A perfect body signifies no risk, no effort and no adventure. If you don't try to do things and make mistakes, you will never learn anything. But if you try and fail a thousand times, your bruised and battered body will hold more knowledge than your perfect one. So take risks and die proud of all you've experienced.

I said something to my friend earlier today, which inspired me to write this chapter, and I think it will really help you understand what I mean. So, I said this:

If you're not sure what to do, pick a path, follow it, and you'll find out if it was the right one. There is no answer to where you should go in life, so don't feel like there's only one right answer. Sometimes, by taking the wrong path it will come to help you more with finding the right one, and the right path will become a better and clearer  one than if you found it straight away. So make mistakes, because who knows how that will make you a better person, but I know it will.

I have found a quote that also helps me understand this concept. That is, "The hardest thing about the road not taken is that you never know where it might have led".

To me this speaks volume. Although the question I am answering is about what to do to take the right path, sometimes it's not all a bad idea to take an entirely wrong one purposely, just to see where you end up. I think that if you take a stab in the dark, take a road you don't know once in a while it is possible to become very successful. 

Knowing where you want to go is one thing, but being brave enough to take the wrong road just to learn a thing or two can turn out to be an incredible thing. It will not only help you to better understand which direction is the right one, but you will also come to realise why and how you can be stronger for it, because even the right path isn't easy.

There's another idea. Your opinion of a "right path" can be entirely blinded by how it looks. If a path looks easy, you say to yourself, "Hey, lets go with that", but in fact it probably isn't the right path if it's that easy.

What you need is to see the path that you belong in; one that challenges you, interests you and makes you feel like you've drowned just before you float. Enjoy making the wrong decisions, and have fun in taking the wrong path to destiny, because life itself is about different experiences and learning new things.

So to answer this chapters question; take the wrong path first. Dare to be bold and strive to learn. Without making mistakes you can never be sure you are right.