A New Direction: why changing something up is sometimes the best option.

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For many people, stepping outside of the norm, is like asking them to cut off their arm.  It's always been done a certain way, and change is not something that even remotely interest them.  We've all been around these people, and often wonder what's the big deal.  What's wrong with changing things up from time to time?  What's wrong with going against the established way of doing things, especially when you know you have a better way?  Say what you want but being the one who is upsetting the apple cart is never going to earn you warm reviews that is for sure, but it will put you where you need to be.

I've been stuck lately and let me tell you that's no place I want to be for very long, but unfortunately it's a place I find myself in from time to time.  I might decided to go one way one day and then completely change direction the day after next.  Believe it or not it's absolutely fine to change up things from time to time.  If nothing else it sure does make life interesting.  What I want you to take away today is that changing direction, deciding to do something different, or simply taking a step back to review where you have been and where you want to go is perfectly fine.  We are not a culture who has to be in lock step with everyone else.  We are as individual as each different snowflake and because of that we are all going to do things a little differently from time to time.  The key is to accept people's differences and be open to the possibility that you may have to change direction at least once or twice in your lifetime.

I spent a career in the United States Air Force traveling around the world, never staying in one place for a long period of time. Because of this I have what you call "wanderlust".  That crazy notion that things need to change and I need a change of scenery every so often.  I have fought the wanderlust for many years and have been in my adopted home state of Maine for almost thirty years.  That being said I am seriously thinking about pulling up stakes and trying a different part of the planet to live.  Every now and again a change of scenery is called for and if nothing else it will give you a different perspective, and that new perspective is sometimes the best thing that can happen to you.

I have talked to many people who feel that changing direction is changing destiny.  That somehow if you deviate from your path you are going to forfeit what is yours.  Destiny is destiny and there isn't a whole lot you can do to change that.  The scenery may change, the seasons may come and go, but rest assured your destiny is never going to morph into anything other then what it is supposed to be.  So let me repeat, simply changing where you live is not going to alter your destiny. How do you know if making a change is not exactly what the universe has in mind for you?  Just think about that for a minute.

There are so many people stuck in a rut.  There is almost zero chance they will ever change up what they do from day to day.  Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat.  Now if that is not simply mind numbing I don't know what it.  Life is an adventure and as such you should be seeking adventure in whatever it is you are doing.  Even if your life has been marginalized by others you still have the option of doing something daring and out of the norm.  What do you care what others might be thinking, it's your life and not theirs.  Take a step on the wild side for once in your life and see if your perspective on things doesn't change a bit.  There are so many people who walk around with blinders on.  Sure you can see what is right in front of you, but the vast majority of what is important are those things that are happening all around you.  Take the blinders off and see what you have been missing.  I get how fearful change can be, but change never killed anyone, not really that is, and change is what brings different perspectives to your situation.  Face it, if you have been sitting around for years waiting for you ship to come in, chances are that ship has sailed and you will be waiting till hell freezes over.  Get off you butt and do something different.  Go in a different direction and if in the process you freak some people out because they never saw it coming, well good on you.

Don't allow fear to stop you in your tracks.  Don't allow the naysayers to keep you where you have always been simply because it has kept them company for these many years.  Get your feet moving and when the dust settles, which it will, what you see in front of you will simply be breath taking.  There is something so wonderful when you wake up in a new place.  There seems to be endless possibilities when you dare to go off the original path and plot a different path.

Changing the way you do things, changing the way you look at things, and ultimately changing direction is often the most daring thing you will ever do, but it will also be the most life changing thing you could ever do.  There are many phases of life, but one thing that will never change is the simple fact that phases bring change, and change is what makes the world go round.  Don't be afraid to zig when others are zagging.  Don't let others make you go left when you really should go right.  If you change things up, then you slowly begin to change the world.  In the long run, that's a pretty good thing.