Trust Yourself and Take Your Own Path

I turned 40 this year.  I don’t know about you, but in my 20s, I always thought that 40 year olds were very responsible people. I also thought that 40 year olds seemed to know what they were doing — they seemed to have life more figured out. They were usually married, with a house, career, and 2.2 kids. At that time, I may not have wished to be old, but I wished I and life more figured out.

Well, now that I am 40, I’ve realized that every decade has a new set of challenges and adventures for my career and life. You can never really figure life out completely. That’s actually what makes our lives worth living and exciting.

I can’t believe I am 40, as I still feel like a kid at times, and still have many more questions/uncertainties about my life. I might have:

• answered one set of question in my 20s (what career should I pursue? should I go to business school?),
• answered another set of questions in my 30s (how to balance dating and work? what kind of person should I marry? Is consulting really for me long term?),
• but a new set of questions are now challenging me in my 40s (what new career do I want to pursue?  Do I want to make my blog a business or not?  How do I balance my work with my time with my kids?).

The questions do not stop, and the journey does not end. No one really has life all figured out. That’s actually the good news. We are presented with choices and obstacles, whether we are just out of school or are already a veteran in the business world.

My point is that you may always look at others and wish you were more confident, accomplished, or have more things figured out like them, but you don’t need to do that. Comparing yourself too much with others can only lead to unnecessary frustration, as nobody’s life is exactly the same. Even those who look like they have everything figured out may not, or have other challenges that you don’t have.

You can always learn form others, but at the end of the day, it’s okay to take your own path, and trust that you are doing what you need to do for your own circumstances.  The path you take does not need to be perfect.  Most people’s paths have large and small bumps in them.  As long as you can learn from those bumps, and they do not stop you from moving forward, you are on your right path.

Your comments:  What’s keeping you from following your own path?  Add your comments below and let’s have a discussion.

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I am always in your corner.

– Lei