New Paths Are Not Discovered — They Are Forged

InNovember of 2021, I left Medium. I deleted my former Medium account and left the partnership program to place myself in an at-home rehab situation and get clean from drugs. I made my return in March of this year.

During my time away, I slipped into the deepest depression I had ever been in. It was one of the scariest periods in my life. I mean my life completely lost its meaning, I felt I had no purpose.

What it actually felt like was that my life was over. Let me explain,

I wasn’t suicidal. It just felt like the novel of my life had no more words in it with only a set of blank pages left. I realize now the reason for that feeling is because of one factor, and one factor only,

I had stopped writing.

It was my turn to stop living the life that had been written for me and start penning how I wanted my life to turn out. It was my responsibility to finish my own story and to write it my way.

It was time to be accountable for every word that fills those blank pages now. I firmly believe this was all divinely orchestrated because this was the period of time when I became fully aware, and completely understood,

Writing is actually my purpose.

I was only put here to write, to write it all and write it with intention. Many of the things I’ve been through have been truly bizarre and yet I’ve survived them with a strange sense of… knowing.

Because there are lessons to learn on the off-beaten path. And from there, my words are supposed to travel. I’m not here for fame or fortune — I’m here to make an impact, and an impact I will make.

But my impact starts with you.

Image by iStockPhoto.com

You see, people naturally follow paths and your job is to create one

There’s a high demand for newer paths that need to be forged and followed. We need you to walk your own unique path so that others can experience it. Even if that means walking it alone,

And much of the time you will.

It is not a strange lifestyle for leaders and path-forgers to be outcasted, ostracized, and deeply misunderstood throughout much of their lives — if not all of it.

The reason is clear, their refusal to pursue a conventional path or ways of existing. People need examples, which means some people are gonna have to lead by example. And by “people” I mean you.

Because you and I both know you can’t teach people the way. The path isn’t something you teach, it’s something you walk. This is the responsibility of the leader, taking risks that nobody else will.

Overcoming obstacles no one else can.

Some journeys can’t begin until you begin paving your path. In other words, people are waiting on you, there are people waiting for you. You are the one responsible for the growth of others.

You are navigating someone else’s route in everything you are doing, creatively. Simply because new paths aren’t discovered, they are created. There are routes to be forged and people who need to get moving.

So pick up your pen and lead the way.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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