“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”
-Joseph Campbell (often attributed)
Every week I get to talk with someone who has reached the plateau. The plateau is that point, sometimes decades into one’s career, when they finally pause to take a breath and look around. In the quiet moments from this vantage point they begin to notice things and ask questions of themselves. Vague thoughts that had been clamoring for attention in the background of awareness for a long time begin to surface.
Thoughts and questions like:
- How did I get here?
- What exactly am I doing with my “one wild and precious life”?¹
- Through the eyes of others, I’m doing well—but something feels off.
- I’m longing for something that requires more of me—more of my best self.
- I want to serve people in a way that feels authentic and aligned with the deepest parts in me.
- I long to experience a grounded sense of peace that I’m doing what I’m supposed to with my life.
If you haven’t experienced any of these thoughts or questions yet, the chances are good that you will at some point. The question is, what will you do with them when they appear?
If you’re like many, you will try to ignore this quiet voice. Not you per se, but your ego. Our ego is great at doing what the ego does, which is using all methods at its disposal to convince us these thoughts are not safe or that we’re crazy. Our egos come at us from every angle with fear, logic, and reason to make this point. And, while your ego is not you, it feels very personal in these moments.
Fortunately, while our ego jumps into panic mode, desperate to prevent change, the deeper calling from our soul persists—quietly, patiently, and lovingly whispering and calling us into ever greater alignment with our True Self. While we may ignore or reject the message of the soul—at least for a while—it comes at a cost. On a personal level, that cost is peace. Externally, that cost is the work that is ours to do is not being done. The impact on the lives of others is absent.
Years ago, as I was just beginning to listen more deeply and respond to the call of my soul, a friend shared a prayer with me from an unknown author that I found great comfort and reassurance in. Here is a lightly edited excerpt:
O God, you have called me to a venture of which I cannot see the ending, by a path as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give me faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where I go, but trusting that your hand is leading me and your love supporting me.
I found reassurance in these words that I was not alone in my uneasiness with not seeing the entire path. Counterintuitively perhaps, I also found reassurance in the acknowledgment that there would be “perils unknown” and that I wasn’t, and couldn’t be expected to see, know, and plan for everything before I began. But mostly, I found reassurance and inspiration to set out with courage, trusting and believing (and ultimately experiencing) that Love’s unseen hand was supporting me and guiding me.
Whether you’ve been on the plateau for a short time, a long time, or you still have it to look forward to, I hope you will listen closely for the call of your soul, honor what you perceive in the best way you know how, and go forward with trust and “good courage” down the path—your path—that is “as yet untrodden.”
¹ From the poem, The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver
I welcome your thoughts, questions, or comments. If someone came to mind as you were reading, trust that thought and share this with that person. You can connect with me at keith@voyagercoachconsult.com.