Reflecting on the Road Less Traveled
Randy Hain
President of Serviam Partners, Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant, Author, Speaker and Co-Founder of the Leadership Foundry
I was reflecting this morning on a hike I took recently with my oldest son at a park near our home in the northern Atlanta suburbs.?We came across a fork in the trail which made me think of Robert Frost’s famous poem, The Road Not Taken, and these lines in particular:
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
That reflective day on the hiking trail and this poem have been on my mind of late as I consider the choices and decisions I have made in my life and the ripple effect that followed. I have often taken the less traveled path and am grateful for the rich experiences, lessons learned and the wonderful people I have encountered along the way.?I assure you I have not always made perfect choices, but by and large I feel a sense of contentment and appreciation for where my life is today.?Do you ever reflect on the decisions you have made and the paths you have followed in life?
As I consider these important experiences and decisions from my past, some were complete directional changes with my career, some involved embracing new ways of living and some were profound mindset shifts.?As I reflect on the process that led to embracing these choices, I remember leaning on the invaluable lessons I learned from my parents, the positive behaviors I observed from people I respect, my own intuition and the values taught by my faith.?Here are the four that stand out most:
All of us probably remember growing up thinking our lives would follow a certain path.?As we grow older, we hopefully begin to recognize the overwhelming number of choices we can make every day about careers, relationships, where we live, how we live, etc.?The surrounding culture and well-meaning people in our lives will always offer the paths they want you to follow.?These paths will likely appear to be sensible, logical, offer worldly success or anything else you may think you want out of life.?I remember well the years when all I thought about was climbing the corporate ladder and earning a great living, because that was what everyone around me was doing.
Maybe you will make the relatively safe career and life choices that everyone else seems to be making, embrace conventional thinking and be perfectly happy. ?But, I would ask you to consider that the popular paths and the conventional choices may not be the best ones for you.?Perhaps, you should consider the road less traveled when you come to the fork in the road.?Be willing to question "one size fits all" conventional wisdom.?Trust your gut.?Seek out wise counsel from the truth speakers in your life.?Live by your values and follow your moral compass.?The easy and well-trodden path may not bring true fulfillment.?It may not lead to truth or happiness.?It may lead to an ordinary life when you were made for something extraordinary. Be willing to ask the tough questions and make the choices that work best for you and the kind of life you wish to live.
I spent plenty of time early in my career on the popular road and I was successful by the world's standard, but unfulfilled. From my experience, the time I have spent on the road less traveled has often been difficult with lots of obstacles to overcome, but I am incredibly grateful for where my life is today and the opportunity I have to serve and help the people in my life. I wouldn't trade a minute of it.
I chose to walk on the road less traveled and that has made all the difference…
Over the next few days, reflect on at least two significant choices you have made in your life and consider if you made the right decision or wish you had made a different choice. Ponder why you feel that way. Do you have other imminent big decisions ahead of you? Will you take the safe path or consider the road less traveled?
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*This post was adapted from Chapter Six of Upon Reflection: Helpful Insights and Timeless Lessons for the Busy Professional
*Learn more about Randy's recent books here.
Learn more about his brand new book, Being Fully Present: True Stories of Epiphanies and Powerful Lessons from Everyday Life
Randy Hain is the president of Serviam Partners, the award-winning author of 10 books, an executive coach, leadership consultant and thought leader on candor, clarity, time management, accountability and business relationships. He is also the co-founder of The Leadership Foundry.
Passionate about solving business challenges in globally regulated industries ?
1 年1.?Having opportunities to serve one’s family is a life time of commitment. Moments and experiences may dampen the mood. However, dig deeper in spirit for God moments to happen. When we look back then we see why it is important to have Faith, Family and Fellowship. 2.??I am grateful for fellow servant men that provide more examples of living our faith in our hearts and outwardly for others to take notice. 3.? We are so connected digitally. We need to self-reflect take inventory are we truly integrated with our life or just connections in the wind. Are we aligning our interests to move forward or just looking for simple connections without intent? 4.??They will likely model later in life what they learn from our example. So very true, first hand and second hand experiences of watching children engage in their school and outside of school activities noticing good and bad habits are followed. When we set the example of what is acceptable, they then take that as a boundary perspective. If a parent let’s boundaries evaporate, expect a child to copy those perspectives. Randy Hain as you stated: “We are far from perfect, but we hope that by doing our best to live by the right values they will do the same long after we are gone.”
Hi everyone! ?? Reflecting on the paths we choose reminds me of the famous quote by Robert Frost: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." ??? It's a beautiful encouragement to embrace the unique journey we each have. What extraordinary path are you considering? ?? #UniqueJourneys #BeTheDifference #RobertFrost
COO / VP Operations ? Multi-Unit Healthcare Management in Private Equity | Goizueta MBA | Strategy, Operations, Integration | Patient Care, Quality, & Engagement
1 年Thanks Randy Hain! Love these reminders. I am almost done with my copy of Essential Wisdom which you gifted to me a few months ago. Looking to pass it along to another leader!
Global Human Resource Executive | Strategic Business Partner | Culture Steward | Change Champion | Talent Architect |
1 年Randy- Trust your Gut! I always have and it hasn't steered me wrong but been a bit scary to choose a different road at times! Thought provoking read and reflections on my own journeys.
Always insightful Randy. Thank you!