Thinking Out Loud

With the New Year steadily approaching, it’s normal for us to envision our potential futures; thinking of what could be and ultimately gazing into our past, picking the moments to forget and never repeat this coming year.

Unless you’re gifted with premonitions or have a crystal ball, constructing the future in our minds, like building blocks, can become detrimental to our current mental state. When some of those blocks shift or even crash, we can overanalyze those occurrences as “our mistake” rather than understanding that life takes its own course, not ours. Even characters in the greatest entrepreneurial stories are just as susceptible of losing their way as we are and often times their “failure” became the catalyst for their success.

Take Walt Disney for example, the creator of our childhood dreams come true. He was fired from one of his first jobs for “lack of imagination and creativity.” Can you imagine that? Even his beloved Mickey Mouse was looked upon as being a frightening character that no one would like. Albert Einstein couldn’t speak for the first four years of his life and Steve Jobs, who didn’t exactly start off on the fast-track to success, became one of the most technologically innovative minds of our time.

Thomas Edison, the brilliant 19th century inventor, stated: “Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.” Edison found a million ways how NOT to make a lightbulb before he found one. Innovation and creativity takes time, concentration and passion. Edison believed contentment was the biggest danger to the human condition.

What links these men is the personal dedication they had to their craft and ability to hold their course despite setbacks, doubts and challenges. We can all use this kind of inspiration in our own lives. Every path is unique and takes time to flesh out.

A key piece of advice is to never envy or desire anyone else’s path. Everyone experiences twists, turns, ups and downs so never lose hope. Some people happen upon a new road by sheer happenstance while on an entirely different one. You never know what could happen so keep an open mind and spirit.

When you’re faced with a fork in your road, whether you take the road less traveled or the road well-weathered, you might as well enjoy the path you’re on. You’re only on it for a short time.