Sometimes it’s easier to walk the path that everyone takes, because that is the path that is known to be safe. The path may be easier, but what is the reward? Consider this scenario.
Let’s say you are walking down a path with a dozen or so of your friends, and you come to a fork. On the left is a smooth paved road through a beautiful forest. The second forks off to the right up the side of a mountain, eventually coming to a place with the most beautiful view in the world. From your perspective, this one amounts to little more than a trail for mountain goats.
You tell your companions that you want to go up the trail on the right. They say, “Why would you go up that way? We should just stick to the trail. Don’t you see how rocky it is? What if you slip and fall? You could die!”
“Well,” you say, “I’m going to climb this path.”
At first they just watch with interest as you start your way up. But as you get about 20 feet up, just barely started, you slip and tumble down to the bottom.
They laugh at you and say, “See? We told you so! No one can climb that.”
You rub your bruises ruefully. “I’m going to try again.”
“What!!??” “You’re crazy!” A couple of your friends start down the trail on the left. “We’ll go this way and you can catch up when you’re done trying.”
You get up and start again. This time you get about 25 feet up before sliding back down. A couple more friends leave. You still get up and go one more time.
This time you don’t slip. You plan more carefully where you step. As you get farther, the path gets easier. You gain more confidence.
“Come on up!” you shout to the rest of your friends below. “It’s a lot easier up here!”
“Forget it! I’m not risking myself just to go up there.” A few more friends leave.
Yet two or three remain. They see your courage in climbing. They’re impressed with your persistence. They start the climb after you. You guide them up so that they don’t slip where you did. Once they get to where you are you continue together, supporting each other along the way. As you climb higher, you discover that the path is more worn than you thought. You come across one or two more climbers resting on your path, and they join you.
You climb higher, ever higher. Soon you’re above the trees in the valley. Through the trees by your path, you can see glimpses of the view.
Suddenly you come to a little outcropping on your path. You and your fellow travelers step to the edge. The view is stunning. You look back, and you can see how far you have come.
You look down, and you see some travelers on a path below. They might even be the friends that left you. You think to yourself, “If only you knew…”
So I ask the question I started with: the path may be easier, but what is the reward? The path through the forest may be beautiful. Ignorance can be bliss. But what could you be missing out on? What beauty could you have experienced if you would have started on that path? The good news is, you can choose to go back to that fork in the path and begin the climb to the life you were meant to live.
Super Success 