Imagine that you’re standing on a path and up ahead the path splits into two. You have a choice to make. Which of the two paths should you take and how on earth do you decide? Did I mention that this is a metaphorical path by the way? No? Well it is, it’s a metaphorical path and the decision that you’re really trying to make is whether you continue with your life as it is, or, if you’re not entirely happy with how your life has turned out, whether you should make some changes. Anyhow, you’re standing at this fork in the path and you need to decide which path to take. I suppose that the first thing you need to do is figure out how you got to this fork in the path in the first place. So, you look over your left shoulder at the path behind you, which represents your past and you can see all the things that have happened in your life, the good and the bad. You can see all the adventures that you’ve had (they may be quite a way back for many of us), you can see the opportunities you took and all the ones you let slip or pass you by. The decisions that you took, the triumphs and the failures. Of course it isn’t really what happened that matters, it’s how we feel about what happened that counts. Something that feels like a disaster to one of us might feel like a useful learning experience to someone else, or the motivation to succeed to another. So how we feel about our past, affects how we feel about our present and will probably affect how we choose which path we intend to take. What if we could change how we felt about the past though, or at least those parts of the past that we felt negatively about? How would that impact on our choice of path? Would you be surprised to learn that this is perfectly possible to achieve?
You look to your front again and you’re facing the fork in the path once more. Now you need to decide whether you’ll take the path to the left, which represents the status quo, no change, everything continuing pretty much the same. Or will you take the path to the right, which represents change. Well, the path to the left is slightly downhill at first, so it could seem like the easy option, although on closer inspection the further along the path that you travel, the harder the going becomes. This path represents the status quo, just carrying on as before, so let’s say that you’re a smoker, travelling along this path means that you just keep on smoking and the future is fairly obvious. Or, for a person who doesn’t ‘try’, because of course if you don’t try, you can’t fail, well this person’s path could show a long line of missed opportunities, chances simply not taken. There aren’t too many adventures along the left path, basically just more of the same. Of course the status quo can be a fairly comfortable, fairly familiar option, it doesn’t require very much effort, but then the rewards are pretty meagre too. The right path on the other hand represents change, possibility and hope. It can seem a little uphill at first and may require a little effort. But once you get going you feel as though you’re striding out almost effortlessly. There may be a big dream or goal at the end of this path but the journey can be fascinating in itself. The goal may be what’s motivating you, but each step along the way is a small victory and should be savoured. The right path may require a little more effort at times, but it’s a much brighter, sunnier space. It’s your decision, I wonder which path you’ll choose. Of course, you could always ask for help.
Me? Well I’m just about to begin a whole new adventure of my own. I hope that it will be a fascinating, fulfilling and rewarding one, so I guess that I choose the right path…..
Colin Conway Hypnotherapy 