I love to reflect on the deeper issues in my life often. Life is hard. It’s busy and so often our goals and dreams get lost in the process. Instead of embracing our passions, instead we stay stuck in fear, mediocrity and malaise hiding behind the easy lure of pixels.

It took a major mid-life crisis and almost losing everything to find my passion. I’d much rather you find your path without the crisis. Here are some questions to ponder:

Are you living the life you’ve always dreamed about? Have you accomplished what you seek to accomplish on this earthly plane? If not, what’s getting in the way?

If not, I encourage you to read this great article written by Hunter S. Thompson when he was 22 – clearly wise beyond his years.

Here a quote from the article that I love:

A man must choose a path which will let his ABILITIES function at maximum efficiency toward the gratification of his DESIRES. In doing this, he is fulfilling a need (giving himself identity by functioning in a set pattern toward a set goal), he avoids frustrating his potential (choosing a path which puts no limit on his self-development), and he avoids the terror of seeing his goal wilt or lose its charm as he draws closer to it (rather than bending himself to meet the demands of that which he seeks, he has bent his goal to conform to his own abilities and desires).

In short, he has not dedicated his life to reaching a pre-defined goal, but he has rather chosen a way of life he KNOWS he will enjoy. The goal is absolutely secondary: it is the functioning toward the goal which is important. And it seems almost ridiculous to say that a man MUST function in a pattern of his own choosing; for to let another man define your own goals is to give up one of the most meaningful aspects of life — the definitive act of will which makes a man an individual.

Let’s assume that you think you have a choice of eight paths to follow (all pre-defined paths, of course). And let’s assume that you can’t see any real purpose in any of the eight. THEN — and here is the essence of all I’ve said — you MUST FIND A NINTH PATH.

What’s your path? Are maximizing your potential? Do you need a ninth path?

Read the article and email me your thoughts on how the article impacted you and what action you will take in response the article.

Here’s a link to the full article. 

Let me know what you think.