I used to think life was supposed to be a straight line.

You make a plan.

You set a goal.

You work towards it.

And then, eventually, you arrive.

But life doesn’t really work that way.

There are detours.
Unexpected turns.
Things that don’t work out.
Things you thought you wanted that suddenly don’t feel right anymore.

And sometimes you have absolutely no idea where you are going.

I used to find that incredibly uncomfortable.

I wanted to know the next step. I wanted to understand how everything would fit together. I wanted a plan that made sense.

But the more I have learned to listen to myself, the more I have realised that I don’t need to know the whole path.

I just need to know the next step that feels alive.

It’s a bit like being on a river.

You don’t need to know every bend before you start moving.

You can pay attention to the current.

You can notice where the water is flowing.

You can change direction when something doesn’t feel right.

And you can trust that you will discover more of the river as you move.

This is very different from having no direction.

It means your direction comes from within rather than from a fixed blueprint of how your life is supposed to look.

You are allowed to change your mind.

You are allowed to want something different.

You are allowed to take a completely unexpected turn.

You are allowed to create a life that doesn’t look like anybody else’s.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

You just have to be willing to listen to what feels alive now.

And then take the next step.

Maria