Why It's Difficult to be Around People who are on a Clear Path
It can be really difficult to be around people who know exactly what they are doing with their lives.
When you ask for advice or talk about your own path, they make a lot of vague statements:
"You just have to find your passion!"
"You'll figure it out in time."
"Everything happens for a reason."
"Just believe in yourself."
Ever heard those cliches before? They are everywhere. And the people that say them intend all the best.
But when you're struggling to find your path, hearing cliches is difficult.
Instead, I like to delve into learning more about other people and their stories. I'd rather hear the details of your story than ask for direct advice. Especially because most people don't know how to give direct advice - they give cliches instead. But they do know how to tell their own story. And we can learn from it.
Think about someone famous that you admire.
Where did they start? Did they always have success? What was their journey? For example, one of my favorite 'famous' people is Gretchen Rubin. She is well known now for her books and podcast about happiness, but before that - she was a lawyer. And she was someone who I started following right after she wrote her first book about happiness. Before she was a household name and inspiring millions. I have watched her journey and can admire her passion and focus. Because she shares so many personal stories in her writing, I feel like I know she hasn't always had a 'clear path' and linear focus. But it's only through reading her material that I've learned this about her.
We don't always have the chance to really learn more about 'famous people.'
So let's think about the unsung heroes in our every day lives that are on a clear path with passion and focus. Maybe it is a friend, a coworker, or a relative.
This week, try asking the people in your life some specific questions about their journey and see where the conversation takes you:
Tell me about a time you struggled at work.
What would you say are your top three priorities in life?
What's the best thing that has happened to you in the past year?
What's the worst thing that has happened to you in the past year?
Where do you want to be in five years (or ten years, etc) from now?
Through these conversations, it just might be easier to relate and learn something from their path that can help your own.
Asking deeper questions just might help prevent you from hearing a standard cliche.
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