What is it like to take an alternative path in life?
It has been a year now since my family and I relocated to Wales. Apart from a few holidays as a child, this country was unknown to us before we moved.
Throughout our first year we have spent time getting to know the local area, which has been encouraged by our regular drive to my daughters school, 9 miles from our home.
Being our first owned home we’ve also been on the lookout for thrifted household items to upcycle and add some character to our new home. Facebook Marketplace has been our friend this past year.
But aside from finding some beautiful second hand pieces of furniture, my expeditions to locate the properties where these items are located have sometimes been challenging and eye opening to say the least.
I have been taken down dirt tracks, up very steep and narrow one lane roads, along the edges of high up hills and through some questionably sized puddles that verged more on the side of small ponds.
Some of this has been partly my own choosing, some have been unavoidable to reach the villages of where these must have items are located and some have been by mistake. Word of warning, if you ever find yourself driving in Wales using a satnav, always check out the route before just opting to follow the shortest route available (it will usually find a very off course track to take you there).
But whilst my driving expeditions to find items to fill my home have been a highly amusing topic of conversation at dinner time for our family, they have also given me a profound insight into life itself and provide an ideal representation of what it feels like to take an alternative path in life, something I know a lot about.
For most of my life it’s felt as if most of my choices and opinions have gone against the grain of general society. From our parenting choices, choosing an alternative form of education for our children, our diet and lifestyle choices and now even in my business.
I wouldn’t say I purposely choose to ignore societal norms, I just simply chose to find alternative choices that at their core make me feel good, that align with my inner values and desires.
But this hasn’t always been an easy road.
Plagued with doubt, fear and insecurities about the path itself and my ability to navigate the path. Like the backroads I’ve been driving along here in Wales, there have been times when I’ve wanted to turn back. Is this furniture really worth it, I’ve asked myself. Do I have the driving skills needed to make it down this road? Were all the same questions I asked in doubt whilst driving along my alternative life path.
But even though these roads can sometimes be thrilling, sometimes terrifying, what is always certain is the breathtaking scenery I encounter along the journey.
The spectacular panoramic views, the hidden gems of nature which seem only visible to those willing to find them. I’ve seen babbling brocks, gushing waterfalls and hills that seem to roll for miles, usually without anyone else in the world present, except sometimes my daughters.
What I’ve come to learn about these roads in Wales and it is true as well in life, is that the backroads are quiet, they are only for the ones daring enough to look for an alternative route. For those willing to question whether there is another road they can take.
They aren’t for the faint of heart. You don’t always know what the road ahead will uncover, a sharp turn, a steep hill or a beautiful clear track. You just have to trust in yourself as you drive the road.
You have to be willing to go off the main road every once in a while, to forgo the standard route if you want to experience the beauty that comes with the alternative path.
This is true in relationships, in business, in any aspect of life. Choosing to follow the path of your heart, the path your soul wants and knows you should follow. Sounds like something that should be easy but quite often it’s the rockiest path you’ll ever go down.
Like the Buddha transcending on his journey to enlightenment, he was faced with his own inner demons, his limiting beliefs, his doubt and fears. He was presented with a choice each and every time, do I turn back or move forward?
And although it may seem that following your soul's path can feel lonely sometimes, what I’ve actually found over the years, is the stronger my own inner belief has become. The belief that taking an alternative route isn’t only right for me but can actually lead me where I want to go faster and yield a more exciting and abundant journey along the way. The more I have attracted, into my reality, stories of others who have done the same and very successfully.
They have felt like that comforting sign post you see when you’ve been travelling down a bumpy unmarked road for a while, wondering whether you made the right turn. That sign that reassures you that your intended destination is not far away, that all this time and through all the doubt and fear you have always been travelling on the path your soul intended you to. You aren’t lost but instead found.
Following a soul led life path doesn’t mean you always travel the backroads. I still use the motorways on the road and in life. But don’t be afraid to take the backroads when you feel called to.
Although it may seem scary at first, that inner calling is never wrong and the more you take the leap of faith the stronger your belief comes in trusting your inner voice and guidance.
Josephine Snowling is a writer, teacher and entrepreneur who shares her own personal truth, understanding and insight of how this reality works and how you can learn to come home to yourself so that you may consciously manifest the life you desire.
Images via Unsplash
