Do you ever wonder about all the lives you might have lived?
Where you would be if you’d made a different decision; taken a different fork in the road? Explored some of life’s other possibilities.
The people you might know, the places you could have visited – even lived. What would your story be?
Would you be different, have different dreams and thoughts, ask different questions about life. Would your worries be more, or less?
Or would you be the same person, plagued by the same insecurities and fears, but always chasing that same point on the horizon, wherever it is you see it from.
Rachel says
Love this post, very deep and we could be here for days!
I often wonder this actually. I had a few bad experiences when I was younger (mum took sick, bad relationship, bad breakup etc.) but those things pushed me in the direction of the path I’m on now, and I never saw them coming.
For example, my mum taking sick meant I had to move 30 miles from home when I was 17 to live with my dad. So that changed my life A LOT. I met my first boyfriend, and met my best friends, who I’m still best friends with 7 years later. I studied for a degree in Advertising and PR, but after the break up with my then bf, I joined a post-graduate programme to take my mind off things, ended up throwing myself into my career and I’ve excelled in the engineering industry writing policy and doing health and safety, environmental and quality systems. A far cry from the Advertising Executive job I thought I’d have in the City.
I wouldn’t change any of it though. I’m really happy with where I am, even if it isn’t where I thought I’d be. And I’m thankful for some of the bad things, because I learnt a lot, I matured, I grew, I changed and my life would be so different if it hadn’t happened that way.
I’m reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg at the minute, and she says to have a long-term goal for where you’d like to be in 5 years, but don’t run at it, make a shorter 18 month plan and go with the changes, because your 5 year goal will change with it. I’ve always done this, and it seems to work out OK! It would be interesting if you could see different paths your life could have taken… mind boggling, but interesting!
R x
Amy Lord says
Thanks for sharing, Rachel, that’s a really inspiring story. I guess one of the best things about life is you never know where it might take you; you can make plans, but things happen or your interests and priorities change and you go down a different path. Sometimes I’d love to see how my life might be if I’d made a different choice here and there, just for the sake of interest. Maybe that’s why I enjoy writing so much: it gives me the chance to explore these ideas. You’re right though, there are so many options sometimes it becomes mind-boggling – but in a good way!
Rachel says
This is kind of relevant – it focues on happiness, but it talks about life choices and paths too, I found it really interesting!
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy
Amy Lord says
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to check it out!