Courageous Choices

Going through my readings, I came across an old friend - a poem that was the subject of discussion during my college days. Our professor encouraged us to explore whatever insights we glimpsed through this simple poem. Here's the poem;

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I don't recall exactly all the things we talked about. What I remember was that we were trying hard to impress each other -- And we succeeded! Ha-ha-ha - after all, we were young, brash, and impressionable!

Anyway, looking at this poem again, there are some insights I can appreciate.

When faced with diverging paths, we should not just stand staring at which one to take, we must eventually choose.

Life is filled with major decisions that need to be made.

- What career to take
- Who to marry
- To start a business or to continue with your present job

Choices. Each one has its own pros and cons. And while it's true that we need to evaluate each one carefully, we cannot linger in the valley of indecision indefinitely.

Although we can learn as much as we can about each choice, we cannot know everything about them. While we can try to imagine possible outcomes, we cannot see everything that will happen based on whatever path we decide on.

But this is not a reason to stand still. We must eventually commit to a path so we can finally move forward.

"Think before you act and then act decisively. Fortune favors the brave" - Brian Tracy

In choosing, we should not be afraid to take risks.

In the many options we face, it's natural to pick the safer one. To take the path everyone has taken gives us a measure of comfort and security. I've done it. You've done it. Who hasn't?

But there are times when the well-trodden path isn't always the best one to take. There are times when we need to go against the tide.

If everyone wanted to stay in their comfort zones, we wouldn't have inventors, explorers, visionaries, and adventurers. We'd probably be still living without electricity, medical breakthroughs, modern conveniences, scientific technologies, and other things we've taken for granted. We'd think the world's still flat. America wouldn't have been discovered. It would still be the dark ages for us.

So, when the time comes for you to take that riskier path, don't be afraid to do so!

"Courage is the power to let go of the familiar" - Raymond Lindquist

Cheers!
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