TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, 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 traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
"The Road Not Taken"
Robert Frost
*******
Make a list of three important choices you must make in the coming year. Then, choose one of them for a journal reflection.
Consider: Why is this choice is important for your well-being, your career, your success? How does it feel to you to be facing this particular choice? Is it scary, or do you feel energized? You do not have to actually make a final choice right now, but raise the issues in terms of how your choice will influence your life. The simple act of identifying a mission critical choice, and exploring it, will do much to prepare the way for a final decision, and journaling is a useful tool for discovering your feelings. Many times, you will find that just getting your situation onto paper, without judgment, can take you far along toward a satisfying answer. GO!
*******
“Life does not require us to be consistent, cruel, patient, helpful, angry, rational, thoughtless, loving, rash, open-minded, neurotic, careful, rigid, tolerant, wasteful, rich, downtrodden, gentle, sick, considerate, funny, stupid, healthy, greedy, beautiful, lazy, responsive, foolish, sharing, pressured, intimate, hedonistic, industrious, manipulative, insightful, capricious, wise, selfish, kind or sacrificed. Life does, however, require us to live with the consequences of our choices.”
- Richard Bach, “Running From Safety”
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