#choosing your path

[dreamy-conceit]

Get beyond love and grief: exist for the good of Man.

— Miyamoto Musashi

His meaning is described by Rishabh Dev: "Emotions and aspirations are natural to every human being, but a true warrior must have a purpose in life, and there isn't a purpose better than the service of others."

[jssicamandy]

Finally finished watching the Drama. Everything work out in the best outcome possible, though not as spectacular as I want it to be, this drama is still worth to watch. 

[queenkazma]

I just saw a Youtube comment of a highschool student worried about his future life choices after highschool and it reminded me of how unsure and vulnerable (and perhaps a little angry and violent) i also was back then when it came to thinking about my future and the kind of studies i had to choose.

I’m convinced (like probably everybody) that i was the more lost and unsure about my future in the world. Like i wanted to do everything and nothing at the same time and i had like zero clear idea. I was terrified about the idea of wasting my time, do the wrong thing and then regret it later but i didn’t know what was the right thing to do and it gave me so much anxiety i cried all the time and just the words “choice” or “choose” made me actually sick.

i did have a preference for artistic fields but 1) art is a veery big field and i didn’t know what to do in art exactly, 2) i internalised this preference because “art is not a real job! it’s gonna be very hard! you’ll struggle to live decently” and i never had a strong personnality and never been determined like the people you see in movies or shonen manga willing to do anything to reach their goal! And i kinda wrongly believed that if i wasn’t as on fire as them about what i loved and didn’t want it as demonstratively as them and was hesitating then it  probably meant i didn’t want it that much right? it was probably not worth the time and money right? So it went more like “oh ok i’m not gonna do that then..” sooo i didn’t know what to do after graduation and i thought i was gonna end up being a hikikomori

But i’m 24 now and although I’m still fucking unsure about my future i’ve gone a long way and i learned many things and seeing that guy’s comment on youtube made me think of a couple of things i wish i knew back then:

 Advice NUMER ONE: life really starts when you realise (but like really deep realisation from the bottom of your heart) that you have to take YOUR time to find your place in the world and achieve your stuff. You might think “that’s not a new advice, i hear that all the time” yeah shut up because it’s a thing to know it and another one to KNOW IT. It’s like when you’re kid and you hear adults say “life is hard” all the time but one day the realisation hits you and you cry because you finally fucking realised.

No matter how much cooler other people's paths and projects sound compared to yours and how fast they evolve while you're here like "i still don't know what to do with my life, i'm probably gonna stay at this level forever while others are building companies and graduating med school" actually you are slowly maturing without realising it and the options are setting themselves in order of priorities in your subcouscious (cause your subconscious brain is smarter than you).

If it takes more years for you than for others to get the degree you want or if you stop everything and take a year to try out something completely different, you're actually not wasting your time at all, you learn skills and meet people you probably would never have known in another context. It's all part of a bigger scheme to achieve YOUR thing even when you don't know what it is yet.

Everything becomes much clearer when you genuinely don't give a shit about others' life anymore.

Advice 2: After highschool (and anytime in life in general) go for the obvious choice that sound like a good compromise and bring peace to your brain. Not the "cool" one or the one that sounds professional enough for your parents. You know why? Because it’s not gonna impact your life as much as you think, it’s just a fucking starting point, because one has to start somewhere. If you’re like most people you’re gonna change your mind and do something else in a year (or the next) anyways so why worry about a fucking starting point. To decide if a choice is good, divide it into 10 criterions positive and negative. If it has 6/10 advantages, even if it's still has 40% of inconvenient it's a good choice. if it has 8/10 it's an excellent choice. don't wait for something that'll entirely satisfy you with a 10/10 or you'll never dare to do anything. And know that "it looks super boring", “it’s gonna be so much fun” or "it's gonna give me a depression if i fail" are completely valid criterions. . Back then i was very anxious like "what if i make the wrong life choices", lmao what a fool! i thought when you chose a path it closed the access to other paths and you could never come back (especially when it comes to long or expensive studies) and like the range of choices just got narrower as you go. yeah that's a fucking lie. Actually in each new "room" you reach there are accesses to other previous doors in addition to new oddly specific ones. And sometimes you're like at room 5 in your life progression and you see an open door to a life choice from room 1 and you're like "oh look there it is again! and much easier to reach this time! i had no idea this job/studies/ internship/ person i met could lead me to work in that thing for which i would have had to take expensive classes 4years ago! interesting!” Also if you have an opportunity to go to a certain path several times throughout your personnal evolution, it's probably your subconscious telling you that it actually really wants to do that. Like it might be your dream job but you need time to realise. It’s gonna be a very weird comparison but you know how sometimes you glance at a text without even reading it but your eyes automatically spot all the dirty words? well your brain is gonna do the same with the things you unconsciously want. You’re gonna spot the open doors that lead to them. But if you need several years to be convinced then so be it. (take YOUR time remember).

Once you more or less know what you wanna do, don't think of what paths you could take to reach it, get in contact with the thing you want to do as soon as possible. random example: if you wanna work in the movie industry, don't think "i could go to that cinema school for x years and then do an internship there and there, that will then allow me to go.." nope! Be like young Spielberg and already start stalking people on the film set like "wow what are you doing? can i watch? do you have a job for me? what do i have to do to be you please?". honestly the worse that could happen is that they'll kick you out after giving you some quality advice and maybe even names of people to contact.

And last advice, get the fuck out of here and try to travel abroad. I'm 100% convinced that one year of studying or working abroad helps you more with becoming an adult and taking life decisions than 4 years of studying and seeing carrier advisers. Seriously, everything is clearer after one year abroad. Seeing other places helps you take some distance from whatever you're doing to see everything in a different light and get unexpected opportunities. Like honestly if i were president or something i would force all the students to take one compulsary year abroad after highschool to open their mind and come back more mature and chill before they start studying anything.

[iamthegoblinking]

THEBONEGENERATION

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[castingmysilver]

“I`m a monster，” said the shadow of the Marquess suddenly. “Everyone says so.” The Minotaur glamced up at her. “So are we all，dear，” said the Minotaur kindly. “The thing to decide is what kind of monster to be. The kind who builds towns or the kind who wants to break them.”

“The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There” by Catherynne M. Valente

[amythystraine]

Spiritual Awakening, pagans are more normal than you think

This is one of my personal favorites, a book that I experienced and wrote at the same time. I languished delightfully in all the possiblities of this spiritual realm, and the possiblities that I wanted to tell you about.  Let's just say it's a journey that we'll take together, and it's a journey that I've been working on for six decades.  This is a book that will help you explore a segment of spirituality that you might not have even realized exists.  This book will lift the veil, exposing ancient secrets and remarkable choices that are yours to make.  It also does something that is often overlooked for pagan and occult paths, it puts a spotlight on just how normal and beautiful, enjoyable and uplifting this ancient of ancient spiritualities can be.  If you haven't picked up a copy yet, you'll find this book at Amazon, in print and kindle.  The print edition is in full color and is gorgeous, and you'll find lined pages so you can add your own notes.

Spiritual Awakening, pagans are more normal than you think

  This is one of my personal favorites, a book that I experienced and wrote at the same time. I languished delightfully in all the possiblit

The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening

Get your copy at AMAZON

[thebookobserver]

He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at least. As for myself, I cannot even claim that. You see, I trusted. I trusted in his lordship's wisdom. All those years I served him, I trusted I was doing something worthwhile. I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really-one has to ask oneself-what dignity is there in that?

Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day

[rachellescheid]

Choosing the Right Path in times of Stress

The world is rushing upon you in heaping waves of new technology, and bright new days, in promises, by way of summer, your job is pressuring you for your newest, hottest project and your at home life is demanding the cash to pay the bill, and it sometimes may feel like you've got your nose hovering just above the water. The rest of you is under. What to do?

You're not really drowning, but you're not really swimming, either.

We've all been there, and if we haven't we will eventually so how do you know what to do when you get there? The easy solution would be to burst upwards through the sloshing water and make a successful escape from the slippery claws of the ocean. But how do we burst upwards when we don't know how to swim? How do we find the movements in our muscles to thrust ourselves out of the water?

In times like these it may seem difficult to think of a solution. We may not know up from down. It just so happens that what you're currently doing is making the cut, even if only by the skin of it's back. But if you're anything like me, you probably don't want to be there.

None of us want to just barely be scraping by.

So here's our solution:

1. Breathe.

I know it may seem easy, or too simple or even just plain boring, but breathing helps us to calm ourselves. If our heart is pounding, and we're desperate, our judgement will be clouded. We may not find the correct solution, we may not even want to.

But if we breathe, and take a moment to assess the situation in it's entirety we will be better prepared to tackle it. Think of it as laying out the blueprints, or figuring out your play by play for the big game. It's better than tackling something blind and hoping for the best.

2. Consider your choices.

You have plenty of them. One of them is even to keep doing what you've always been doing. Another is to quit. Another is to believe in yourself. Another is to... well, you get the point. There's plenty of choices.

The best way to choose is to try to find your best, most helpful, and the healthiest option for you. Keep in mind, this is not necessarily the easiest. It also may not be the hardest, however. I've met plenty of people who are willing to make themselves miserable and choose the hardest path they can because it meant, to them, they could have something they've been dreaming of a couple of months sooner. Some of us choose the hardest path because all we know how to do is struggle. We need to pay attention to why we want to choose what we're choosing, and why we aren't the other options.

With all your options it's hard to choose, but the healthiest choice usually enables you to:

To enjoy what you're doing in the present

Save up for what you want later

Provides what you need, at the moment

Makes you happy

3. Listen to your inner voice

What makes your heart sing? What makes your innards wiggle in delight, and what makes you essentially happy? Not just for the moment but into the future, too?

Close your eyes and breathe. Clear your mind, push aside everything else but the issue, and think. Focus on the area between your stomach and your heart, and listen to yourself. What will make you happy, but provide what you need at the moment, and allow you access to what you want later on?

If it's difficult to concentrate, turn on the tv with the audio just so soft you can barely hear it, and try to make out the words, this way your subconscious won't be focusing on if you've done the dishes or not.

If you need to sleep on it, then do so. Sometimes we wake up knowing exactly what needs to be done, or having arrived to a good solution. Use this technique the next time you're in a rock and a hard place, and see what wonders it will do for you.

~Rachelle [You can view the original post on my website]