The Road Less Traveled

The road less traveled….the poem by Robert Frost has always been my favorite. I once swore that I would live my life that way, take the road less traveled…be independent, do it MY way, not care what others thought or said or did. I have to say I am very disappointed in myself, because I did just the opposite.

All my life I have done what I was told, what was expected of me…until recently. I realized that the only way to be me was to listen to my inner self, and do what I thought was right. Take the road I thought I should be on, not the one that others told me was the one I should be on. I want to raise my children this way; to be independent thinkers. I want them to trust themselves enough to believe in what they feel and think, to know that they are right and have confidence in their decisions. So now I have a new vow…to live my life according to MY terms and set a good example for my kids. I am going to have confidence in MY decisions and MY thoughts and MY path, so that my kids will have confidence in theirs. I read somewhere (actually in a lot of places) that children learn what they live, they watch and they learn what they see. I want my children to see that listening to your inner self is important; that being true to yourself is what your life should be about.

There is nothing wrong with asking advice; no man is an island, right? But the decisions should be made by listening to your inner thoughts and feelings. Instinct is a valuable tool; so is your conscience. That inner voice that tells you what you should do…there is a reason that it is there. In order to be true to who you are, you have to KNOW who you are; you have to listen to yourself, and act on what you know is right for you. Life is too short and too precious to waste. I don’t want to waste any more time doing what everyone else thinks I should do or being who everyone else thinks I am. I am me and I am proud of who I am. Let’s say that one again…I am me and I am proud of who I am. If that sounds like an affirmation, then so be it. I am going to take the road less traveled and do it my way.

I met a very dynamic woman this week who is the epitome of this. She is a single mother of 7 and when she had a life altering crisis, she decided that instead of lying down and dying (as she was told she was going to do in 9 months) she would pick herself up and live life on her own terms. Jamillah, I would be proud to call you my friend! It is impossible to be down around Jamillah, she is full of life and positive energy. The energy flows out of her and enters into everyone around her. When I began to talk to her, I was not in a good place, I was stressed out and I was feeling very uncomfortable in my life and the choices I was making. After talking for a few minutes, I felt empowered and positive. She takes what life has given her and turns it around to be what she wants it to be. Everyone comes into your life for a reason; Jamillah came into mine to show me what I can be. Now is not the time to lie down and do as I am told I am supposed to do. I am recreating myself and my life. That doesn’t mean I don’t have to live up to my responsibilities, it just means that I have choices as to how I do that.