The Pathless Path Part 2: YOUR Pathless Path

Yes, I am still only about 15 pages into this book, but I feel the need to share another passage that I literally have read about 30 times in the last 24 hours. I keep thinking about it and I need to apply it to my life, but I will admit that I am not perfect at this despite how much it makes sense in every way.

The way has no map, the way is not charted, the way is not such that you can follow somebody and find it. The way is not like a superhighway; the way is more like a bird flying in the sky – it leaves no markers behind. The brid has flow but no marks are left; nobody can follow. So the way is a pathless path….It is not ready-made, available; you cannot just decided to walk on it, you will have to find it. And you will have to find it in your own way; nobody else’s way is going to function……….

You are you, a unique individual. Only by walking, only by living your life, will you find the way…….

If you have the courage, the risk is there – it is risky, it is adventurous.

So there are some parts from three little passages in the first 5 pages. I think they all flow together quite nicely. This speaks to me on my levels. In general, life is to be lived and they only way to live is to get out there and live it. There is not a manual on life that will work for everyone. You make the choices and you live with the results. Only by living can you find your way in life. Along the way you will make mistakes. I make mistakes. I make them all the time, but I have the courage to risk it and find out what life is all about. It is not about being perfect, but just enjoying what we have while we have it.

In terms of training you have to listen to your body and know when to push and when to adjust. There are a thousand different training plans for this and that. I think I own about half of them. Over the course of my training for Ironman 70.3 Racine, I have adjusted big time two times. I started with one plan, it did not quite work or fit who I was so I adjusted. I went with the adjusted plan and that did not quite work with my mental frame of mind and an injury. I adjusted again this time taking bits and pieces from my minimal experience in training and listening to others and created a new plan. This plan is working. It is my way. It is my pathless path. It may not work for you. That does not make the plan better than yours or worse.

I always read and follow up on Jeff Paul who is not only a friend, but someone who has provided me with much inspiration and someone to look up towards. He is a machine. He is one of the mentally toughest people I know. His training plan would kill me. I could not follow it. Most people could not follow it. But it is his. He talks in his last post about the risks he takes with this training. I cannot think about his training and this passage. He has the courage and is willing to take the risk. The payoff could be huge. He could achieve unbelievable things. The only way to know is to try.

I feel like I am doing the same, but just at a much smaller scale. I am taking risks by tackling triathlons. The end of last year I could not swim one length of a pool without stopping and being gassed. I know can crank about 3000 yards in an hour. It was a risk. I had to go outside of my comfort zone. Sometimes we have to leave our comfort zone, we have to take a risk to find out what we are really capable of. It is scary, but necessary if you want to find out who you really are. His path is his path. My path is my path. Your path is your path.

I think there is much to be taken from this no matter who you are.

One thing that is not mentioned that I do think is important is to get with others and learn from where they have been and where they are going. I think that in order to go into that uncharted darkness of the unknown to find yourself you sometimes need to connect with others who are doing the same to learn how to cope. Our 6B46 running group and weekend long group runs are perfect examples. We are able to connect, challenge ourselves and learn that we are all capable of great things. Surrounding yourself around people tackling their own pathless path allows me and I am sure you to gain inspiration and knowledge to go back out there and test yourself. Even though we all have our own paths in life I think they do tend to cross paths and there is nothing wrong with that.

If you are not sure if you are on the right path to success, then the only way to find out is to keep going, GETTING IT DONE, and discovering your own way to accomplish great things. Embrace the fear and uknown because the result could be one of the greatest things in your life. The only to find out is to do, there is not try.