Where are You Heading?

I have a regular running route reserved for hot days. On those days when I am determined to get my miles in but I want to be under the cover of some trees, I routinely embark on a quick out & back run. I know what to expect on this route, I know what my destination looks like, and although the scenery changes between seasons and the path might flood a little if its been raining, I always know in which direction I am running, and I always make it to my destination (and back).

Last week, I was feeling overwhelmed and needed to get out to clear my head, so I threw on some running clothes and made my way to my regular trail. Except, when I came to an intersection, I decided to take a left and see where it lead me. I found myself running blind, and at first that was exhilarating, exploring with no clear destination in mind. But I soon realized that I had been turned around and now had no idea how to get out of the woods or to get back to my original path... let alone to my regular destination. (I would later learn from my fitbit, that I had indeed been turned completely around without even realizing it).

So many of us approach life by taking what ever turns seem attractive at the moment, without a clear destination in mind. And then... we are surprised when we find ourselves lost in the middle of the forest with no destination in sight. It is fun to explore sometimes, and sometimes we need the adventure of embarking on a new and unknown path, however as Yogi Berra famously said "If you don't know where you are going, you will end up someplace else."

It is so important to dream, and not just to dream, but to draw out the path that leads to that dream becoming reality. So yes! explore, yes! go on adventures, yes! take the blue trail... but also plan, know where you want to go and figure out how you are going to get there... that is your one true way to make it through the forest of distractions and uncertainty. Its the only way to turn your dreams into reality.