Have you ever felt that – without regret – you have chosen and are on the wrong path, and though you wish to be free of it, abandoning this road will cause much more chaos and hurt than staying on it?
I had moments in my life that I absolutely knew that I was in the wrong path. For instance, when I became an executive for a record company.
My paycheck was good, I had a women I loved next to me but… something vital was missing.
For a time, I had the impression that if I let go, I would cause much hardship for us. But inevitably the situation got unsustainable. I was truly unsatisfied with my life and started to notice that my soul was dying in the process.
I decided then to leave my job and travel for 6 months across Europe with Christina (this was back in 1982). This initial travel enabled me to encounter my master in Germany, then Amsterdam. From this moment on, I focused on trying to get as close as I could to my calling: being a writer.
Mind you – it took an extra 4 years to actually be able to tell a story – my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella ( The Pilgrimage).
So – in order to answer your question: yes, I walked a path that wasn’t mine. I felt scared to leave this path that I knew so well. But the moment I stepped out, it turned out that all the demons I expected to face weren’t there at all. I had hardships of course, but all was worthwhile – because my soul was alive.
Please send your question for selection to question@paulocoelhoblog.com
I loved this question. I ask this myself. I found myself on a path that I was not happy with, and chose to leave. I quit my job in education, packed up my apartment, packed a backpack, and went to Costa Rica. Six weeks later, I came back with the intention of leaving again. I stayed for 4 weeks, then left for the Northwest US (I am from the NE US). Money ran out and I am home staying with a friend, scrounging to find work to pay for my next place of venture. I struggle with feeling complacent, bored and unispired. I want to just pick up and run somewhere far away, but feel that I do not have the resources to do so. Meanwhile, while I stay here and lead an uneventful and redundant life, I can feel myself becoming more lost and confused- my soul is dying. Advice?
Some people are always torn between what they feel is good for them, and what others think would be better for them!
They could risk losing their own dreams in search of “what if others are right and I’m not!”, forgetting that there is no absolute right or wrong, it depends on why it’s right and why it may be wrong. And they might end up choosing the wrong road that others chose for them, and leave what they felt they really wanted at the beginning. They continue to feel unhappy till they get the courage to break the barriers and cross the road.
Take risks…
to stay alive, follow your heart even when it takes 4 years or longer.
I feel your nakedness and it makes me vulnerable…
Love
xxx
Balance, Law and Order for me is important, as Paul from Austria was teasing me the other day. ;-]
Yes, dear Paulo Coelho, you have lived your destiny.. You have faced your ‘demons’ in youth but were lucky enough to find the strength and escape. The same may not apply to each one of us .. We cannot just run away from our ‘duties’ to follow our dream. We have to ‘think’ before acting and cutting bridges, because dreams are wonderful, passion is what makes us feel alive, but responsibility is what makes us a reliable human being, a ROCK. Yes again I speak of Duty. We cannot eat and pay our bills with… pathos and love! Each one of us has to become a responsible member of our society and if we really WANT a dream to be fulfilled and lived we could make the utmost of our capacities and time and find out if we are really able to reach our dream and expectations. Because sometimes instead of taking the risks we sit back and blame others and life for our failures.. Another quote: As you have made up your bed, there you will sleep = ¨Οπως στρώσεις, θα κοιμηθείς.
May we all make the right decisions.
LOVE,
Thelma.
I can relate to everything that you share Mr. Coelho. The only difference is at my birth, my soul was incarcerated. For me, the day I decided at 39 to give me a last chance, meaning listen to my soul and do what it had as desires, dreams, opinions, convictions, for where there was no sense in being alive, light came and I was born. Since that day, even if it is hard, just this feeling of passion, my soul that vibrate in union with my mind and body is wow even better then when I was getting high on drugs (sorry if I compare to that but it is really the example that comes to my mind). Jojo
Dearest Paulo,
You said it took you an extra 4 years to write of your pilgrimage. You knew, that that is what you had to write, but it took you all that time to get it out, correct? I’ve spoken to you before, and I feel the need to write a specific story but as you suggested, I should keep trying until I’m ready. This story is for me to write, and I have to, but as time goes on I feel I’ll forget the details. However, I can’t rush this. Do you understand my dilemma? Did you ever have that fear in your 4years of attempting? That maybe you’ll forget parts of it, and it won’t be a perfect expression?
I’d appreciate your advice on this, it’s been worrying me for some time.
Thank you for being
Yajna
Nice job Paulo.
reading your stories gives me strength to not do the same, and go looking for my real path. By the way, i am feeling i foud it.
thanks so much
Thank you Paulo for writing this.
You give me courage by writing about your path.
Love Jessica
I agree with you guys – concerning jobs and careers. These are important as they take up way too much time of your day to merely say “well, it pays the bills”.
What about the path of love? What about your life story? What does your life say about you? Is your life meaningful to you?
The question is – am I living my life? How am I living it?
Am I satisfied spiritually?
I feel that there is something coming… that I am going to meet a cross-roads soon… I have to, because the loves in my life, my relationships, my education.. these things no longer bring me satisfaction they once did, but I don’t know how to handle it – what to do with this – and so I’m just waiting… and planning my leave… but afraid of the hurt I’m going to cause.
But being in the place I am at right now is going to drain the me out of me even more – I’ve already lost touch and the fight to get back to good is a hard one, especially if I stay on this path.
Honky Dori on the outside… but what a battle within!
Thank you for your story. As always, so full of advice. And see what a good thing you did, because we all need you and love you so much.
Yes you are beautiful Alexandra
xxx
speaking from my lowly paid but dream job in West Africa…
;o)
I would second these very inspiring words of Mr. Paulo Coelho’s
and say that it is much better to live a life without the pursuit of money that can not bring happiness.
being on your true path is like a treasure hunt and that is worth more than all the gold [tea in China]…
of course, this is easier to say and do in a world where land rent are not extreme, taxes outrageous, etc…
Actually, it is the circumstances more than the job that make me want to leave. I don’t think it is right for me to be at the same place of work for more than 9 years. But I’m sure I could follow a different path with great satisfaction.
I could leave my present path in 24 hours.