A long time ago, a man was walking along a
forest path. He followed it faithfully, but he was eventually forced to
stop. For there, just before him, the road split. He could no longer
follow the road, but had to choose the direction in which he traveled.
He had never before been thus confronted, and having no frame of
reference to help him, he decided upon the road to the right. His
journey commenced.
This path proved dark and treacherous. He
slipped on wet moss and tripped over rocks and roots. Often the sound
of an unseen animal startled him.
By the time he again walked in sunlight, he was
wild with fright. The sight of the familiar sunny road calmed him, but
his anger was strong against the mile of darkness in which he had
traveled. He shook his fist at the shady trees, cursing the path. He
gave no thought to the choice which he had made.
He began walking again, and before long, he
came to another parting of roads. He again chose the path to the right,
giving very little thought to the matter. He had forgotten the
consequence of his previous decision. His choice was made without
consciousness.
This path, too, was inconvenient. Though
bathed in daylight, the dirt was muddy and stuck to his shoes.
Occasionally a thorn bush or animal blocked his way. Fatigue
overwhelmed him as this stretch of road seemed to never end. Finally,
however, the path became more firm, and his way cleared. Again, relief
swept over him; and again, he blamed the road for his troubles.
How often do we think like this man did? We make decisions every day. Do we realize that? Do we take responsibility for our situations, recognizing that our choices brought us to where we are? It’s important that we are aware of the power we possess in agency. Sometimes we don’t know what to choose, at first; but after experiencing the consequence of a choice, we can choose how we let that affect us and our choices in the future. Now, back to the man’s story.
The man again continued on his way. But this
time, his thoughts were on what he had experienced along this road. He
pondered the first decision he had made, and the resulting situation.
He then realized that his second decision was very similar. He stopped
abruptly as he came to a startling conclusion. He could have learned
from the first experience. If he had thought about the consequence of
the first situation, he would not have made the same mistake. Shaking
the dried mud from his shoes, the man decided to test his theory. He
hurried along the road until he came to another fork. Overjoyed, he
raced onto the road to the left.
The man was so pleased with his discovery that
he jumped over the rocks on the path and scampered up the little hills
that he came upon. He ran his hands along the bushes that crept onto
the path. He listened to the birds sing and laughed at the animals that
watched him pass by. When he tripped over an occasional root, he
merely got up and kept going. His happiness could not be dampened.
Have you noticed what changed? The path itself was not any easier. There were rocks and roots and bushes in the way; there were still overhanging trees and lurking animals. The one thing that changed was his outlook. And that was his choice.
Life happens; no question. There are so many things about your road that you can’t control. But you decide how Life’s happenings affect you. You are free to follow any path you choose. You can even make a new road! Your circumstances, good or bad, cannot be blamed on or credited to anything or anyone else. Yes, there are occurrences over which you have no power. You can’t prevent the waves in the ocean; but you can decide whether to surf them or be pulled under.
You control the direction of your life. You are the master of your fate.
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