Off the beaten path

Do you remember being a child? There wasn’t a care in the world. There was no future in sight except for the next adventure you and your friends would partake in, the next doll you would pick up to play with. Do you remember thinking about anything else in those moments of innocence? You probably answered no. The only thoughts in your head were regarding the task at hand. Picking the trendiest outfit for Barbie, climbing to the highest branch of a bottlebrush tree-deeming yourself the queen or king, running as fast as you could in a game of tag-your only goal in life at that moment was to tag your opponent. What if there was a way to get back to that sense of child-like wonder? To avoid letting the weight of the future hook its claws into you. What if I told you this was possible? Now all you have to do is forget about your goals. Okay, not really. If you want that careless happiness back that you had when you were a child, all you have to do is avoid allowing your goals to control you. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds.

When we were children it was second nature to go off the beaten path, explore whatever little thing there was to explore. Notice how adulthood has taken that from us? We choose a path and we follow the shining light at the end until we reach it, until we achieve the goal at hand. There’s no time to wander, no time to explore like that of our child self. Now we give ourselves no time for play until we reach our goal-the one thing that will provide us happiness. Or so we’re told.

I've come to believe that when we’re always striving for a goal, always striving to do better and achieve more, it’s actually counterproductive. We’re so focused on the end result that we often don’t realize that there is magic around us right at this very moment. Dreams we have worked towards in the past sit beside us, neglected once they were achieved. There are curious paths that we overlooked in our zombie-like state to the end goal. Paths that contain adventure, magic and possibilities that we did not care to oversee.

My only resolution for the year ahead is to get back to that child in me. I want to get back to that child who takes one step at a time and lives only in the present moment because that is all there truly is. There’s no blinding light ahead directing me to an end goal. There’s no pressure to reach the end. Just one step at a time. I’ll go off the path as I please, explore the wondrous possibilities that I would have otherwise overlooked and perhaps I'll come to find a place of happiness right in the very moment I'm in.

When you put one foot in front of the other and simply take it day by day, you no longer have a big grey cloud following you around, screaming at you about all of the things you still haven’t done, all of the things you still lack to be where you want to be. Let the only thing that matters be the next step ahead. Just one step. Feel the weight lift off of your chest as you change your mindset. It is not about walking x amount of miles, it’s only about taking the step right in front of you. By all means, set goals for yourself, but remind yourself that your steps are allowed to be gradual and patient. Be mindful about each step you take. Every tiny little step is just as important as the end goal, after all-if not more important. Remember that every step is bringing you closer to each goal and dream and don’t forget to go off course every once in a while. Your dreams will still be there when you get back.