I don’t know about how you feel about being lost? Personally I love it. When I go out walking I am always the person  that never wants to stick to the path.  For me there is no fun or adventure or freedom in taking the path.

For me, getting literally lost in nature – and metaphorically in my life – is a huge part of who I am and what I need. I love the strong sense of feeling alive that I get when I am lost. Not knowing whats around the next corner and never being able to predict it. The feeling of being completely in the moment. Of course in a practical sense ‘off roading’ is challenging – marshy ground, steep hills, rocks, ferns….metaphorically too it has it’s challenges…. unsure of direction in life, exasperation from others, risks that backfire, untraditional life path, bad  jobs, difficult people and the feeling of never finding your ‘niche’ or your ‘thing’.

With getting lost though there is so much to gain that the challenges are outweighed. When you take the well worn path in the woods or the hills or along the beaches you walk on, you are missing out on the real experience.  You miss out on seeing beautiful things you cannot see from the path,  you miss out on the excitement of not knowing what is to come or what you will see or experience next. You miss out on the joy that comes with getting stuck in the mud, wading through rivers and the freedom from not following sign posts.

In life in general, I believe that it’s ok to be lost.  I’ve come to terms with that recently. I have had many varied jobs in my life but not a career as such. I’ve had so many hobbies and interests that I constantly pick up then drop. At times I have felt pressure to live a predictable risk free life. A ‘stick to the path’ life. I’ve tried but I have realised it is not for me. I have accepted that I am someone who is not going to stick to the path. I’ve accepted that I will always hop from one interest to another and maybe never find my niche. With this realisation I feel so free. My life feels rich and exciting with possibilities and uncertainties. What can i learn next? Who will i get to know? What places will I see? There is a huge risk in living a risk free life and that is that you may never fully live.

My advice to myself is to stay away from the path and to live life as the adventure that it should be. Forget living the life that is expected of you and conforming to how others want you to live. You don’t need to tread on the same path that everyone else seems to walk on. Try getting lost…I promise you will love it!