Trailblazing

  Imagine being on a long road trip across country. You have no itinerary and no time schedule. You can go for as long as you like, wherever you like. You have two choices: Option #1 is to take the main roadway, a well-worn highway, with its long, dry stretch, going on for miles and very little in the way of scenery. Option #2 is to take a less frequented country avenue, wandering through unfamiliar but interesting territory, shaded by trees and punctuated with sweeping vistas. Which route would you choose?

We have these choices every minute of the day, not only in the routes we decide to drive or walk. We have these choices in the people we spend time with, the jobs we seek (or stay in), the opportunities we accept or decline. Most importantly, we have these options in the thoughts we engage every minute of every day.

The roads described above represent the pathways in our brain. The main roadways are the thoughts or cognitive habits we default to on a regular basis. This could be something as mundane as the route we take to work or our regimen as we get ready for bed. As with major highways, these well-worn mental tracks can be very convenient and efficient. Sometimes these roadways are the thoughts we have about ourselves and the world we live in. Unfortunately for some of us, these are not always the most positive or productive messages. We may get swept up in the political dramas or violent realities of the latest news headlines. Or we may be our own worst enemy, criticizing the way we look, judging ourselves for what we do or don’t do, feeling caught in a web of inadequacy and insecurity.

If and when our automatic thoughts become negative or self-defeating, we must challenge ourselves to find alternative routes. The country lane (although it could be any type of boulevard, avenue, or trail that appeals to you) represents a refreshing and less frequented path, a way of breaking free from the ordinary. This novel pathway may require more deliberate attention because it is less familiar. We may have to drive more slowly at first, careful not to miss a turn, alert to the new sights and sensations. We may have to resist the temptation to go back to the familiar roadway we have always taken. Or we may even have to remind ourselves to take a different and more interesting route in the first place.

Whether we are referring to a hiking trail, a quiet lane, a winding avenue or a major roadway, the more we use it, the more trodden it becomes, the easier it is to navigate and more apt we are to use it in the future. Similarly, the more we think certain thoughts, the more likely we are to engage those thoughts regularly. In other words, as the neuroscientists say, “What fires together wires together.” So we must be aware and recognize when we choose a road which has become repetitious, uninteresting, unproductive, or even toxic or dangerous. We are challenged to stay mindful of the roads we choose (i.e. thoughts we think), and open and willing to explore new paths (create new thoughts). These pathways are likely to bring us to fresh revelations, alternative perspectives, novel experiences, and certainly a more fulfilling way to get where we want to go.