Walking the Path

‘John’ can be anyone. John can be you. John can be me. John is the protagonist in ‘Walking the Path – A Leader’s Journey’. Although not entirely fiction, I use narrative to give context to the human endeavor. He is the substitute for each one of us. When we learn and understand his story, we can better live our own. His story is one of challenge. He struggles to find his own identity. It is only through walking the path that he finds himself, his value, and his purpose.

John’s story may very well be similar to our own. He has fears and frustrations. He has feelings of guilt and hopelessness. He is in a place of transition. And he must make decisions that might upset some and anger others. Few people will appreciate what he is going through; even less will understand the decisions that he must make. But he must do something. And he must do it soon.

What is Walking the Path?

When I wrote ‘Walking the Path’, I created a story that spoke to my journey into leadership. The story of ‘John’ relates to the person who feels stuck in life. To give you some perspective, John lives in a valley - a valley with no name. The valley is surrounded by mountains – a range with no name. In fact, the only parts of the story that have names are the main characters. I focused on the people, their stories, and the decisions they made. John’s story is symbolic of the lonely and empty place we sometimes find ourselves in and the transformation that takes place when we decide to break free. This is my story. This is your story. This is our story.

Is this You?

Are you in a place where your personal world does not change? The people and the places you see every day are the same. Your work is the same. The expectations placed upon you are the same. Life goes on without change. And every day, the need to break free – the need to find the true you – eats away at your core. Your deepest desire becomes the need to escape. Not because you want to disrupt the people around you. But because you need to find the true you. And you need to find where you belong. ??

What should You Do?

John’s decision was to take the risk. He needed to leave. More to the point, he needed to escape his surroundings. He needed to find out if there was more to life. He needed to know what was beyond the valley. He needed to know what was on the other side of the mountains. With some fear of rejection, he confided in a close friend and mentor. This mentor supported his decision to go and find out what was on the other side of the mountains. More importantly, his mentor gave him permission to find out what was inside him.

Should You Go?

John’s mentor advised him not to make the journey alone. But who could he trust? Whom should he trust? These are good questions. These are questions that need answers. Taking the risk to find yourself and the place where you belong is a scary venture. But you know that if you do nothing, you will regret the decision to do nothing for the rest of your days. But making the decision to do something is frightening. It’s comfortable remaining in what is known than to venture into the unknown. But the dread of staying where you are is too much to bear. You must do something.

Who will Go With You?

When John looked around him, he found the people that he could trust to share in his story. After deciding what to do, deciding who to ask for help was the next biggest risk. Not everyone wants to see you change. For some, change is the one thing that must be avoided. But when you know you have to change, telling someone is a risk. John found two people who he could trust. John found those who thought what he thought and felt what he felt. He found like-mined people who would walk the path of change with him. ?

What is Your Story?

We walk through our own story every day. Our path lays out before us. At times, the path is clear. The sun shines, and you can see each future step clearly. You feel good. You are confident that you are traveling in the right direction. On these days, you want to celebrate. Your days are successful, and you want to share those successes with everyone.

But the sun does not shine all of the time.

Some days it’s difficult to focus. On these days, the path ahead of you is not so clear. You may only see a few steps ahead. Maybe you only see the next step. When the sun does not shine, even your feet below are difficult to view. You feel lost, anxious, and confused. You never want to be in this situation. Yet you know that life has its ups and downs. Life is not a straight path. And the real story of you is what happens on those dark days.

Are you Walking Through the Darkness?

I could have easily written the story with the title, ‘Through the Darkness’. The story would have been more or less the same. The difference may have been the people encountered along the way or those that joined you along the journey. Much of the mood of the book would be suspect – because in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. Your eyes deceive you. You must learn to use different tools to navigate the path.

At times, you must trust others to help you. This is especially true when you cannot see the path at your feet or when you do not know the way. These people are mentors, friends, or even a coach. When need someone to help clear the path. Or we need someone to help us make sense of the path.

Walking the Path – A Leader’s Journey

Keep moving forward, even when you feel you can’t.

Thanks for reading!

This is another article as part of The Question Guy newsletter series.

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