“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. But if you do, make new ones. Life is too short to make the wrong choice twice”~ Joyce Rachelle
Before I start this post properly, I’ve got good news for my illuminators! My very first self-improvement journal is finally out- The Life Compass! This guided journal is an empowering and life-changing resource that will enable you to take charge of your self-improvement, your mental wellness, enable you to get in tune with yourself, be in touch with your emotions, allow you know and understand your strength, what needs to be worked on and how to adequately end self-sabotage
I am happy to inform you that you can now get your copy! Also, I have a planner out too! The Goal Chaser is a planner that helps you set things right with yourself, get your life back on track, slay your vision, goals, dreams and organize your entire life as you journey into the world of uncertainties, challenges, and opportunities.
If you are an avid reader of my blog, then you should know that these resources have played a vital and effective role in my life, they have enabled me to be closer to achieving my life and spiritual goals and I would like every one of you to get your copies as soon as possible.
Now, let’s get straight to business…
Tripping by the roadside or falling on a heap of garbage and getting your outfit stained hurts really bad but have you ever made a decision and followed it through with optimism only to realize halfway that you have been on the wrong path? Trust me, it will shatter you really bad. I’ll give you another scenario.
Now, imagine you are in a relationship; you’re putting in your best to ensure that you both work and that the very spark that started the relationship does not die out. But with every look into your partner’s eyes, you see the flame of love fading away.
You ask them and they reassure you that they still love you. You keep working with the reassurance until after a while when you start seeing signs of them cheating.
You struggle to get evidence and confront them with the hope that they will tell you that you are bluffing and clearly dismiss the evidence. But to your greatest shock, they do not deny. They accept the allegations and instantly start asking for forgiveness.
And immediately, your heart becomes a canvass of different emotions: betrayal, low self-esteem, disappointment, and many more negative emotions. You are trapped in a battle with your inner mind. You suddenly start nursing a feeling of regret… I think that analogy best explains what it means to walk on the wrong path of life.
I know survival can be a very challenging and overwhelming journey. The several phases and experience can put on a tag of regret but it is mandatory that through the struggle, we design a life that is free of regrets, limitations, and setbacks.
With all the recent crises and challenges we have been experiencing, the speed at which things can end has never been more visible to me and so I allowed myself to be immersed in different levels of reflections, I have been able to re-evaluate some of my life decisions and I realized that life is a journey that can end in a blink of the eye, hence, living a worthy and fulfilling life is the best life decisions we can ever make. And I want you to at this moment, take a short pause to reflect on the kind of life you are truly building.
Let me guess, you are feeling guilty for the times you do not spend well? If so, then let me surprise you with the fact that there are millions of people across the world who share the same sentiments with you. Whatever your mistake might be, you need to realize that although you have made terrible life decisions in the past, you need to retrace your step.
The fragility of every moment I live in and how I have to be conscious about making meaning out of every moment I exist is something that’s worth talking about.
You have to understand and know why you are here, who you are, where exactly you are headed to, what is your vision, what is your purpose, where do you draw your motivation from and so many other deep questions. And when you find yourself spending too much time questioning yourself, then, there is a likelihood that you on the wrong path and you need to fix up.
Now, living your best and successful life implies you living a perfectly imperfect life with your flaws, learning to understand the reason behind every season, being intuned with yourself, satisfied with the path of your journey even as you progress and how well you evolve as you pursue the goals and dreams you have envisioned.
Within the next few paragraphs, we’ll be looking into the signs you should watch out for in case you are on the wrong path of life. Grab a cup of coffee and join me on this ride:
1. When Your Accomplishments Don’t Bring You Satisfaction
If you are never happy with your accomplishments, you might need to do some reevaluation about your life and decisions. I had a friend who studied Law in school because her parents wanted her to do so. She went to one of the best schools and graduated with a very good result – as a matter of fact, she graduated as one of the best students in her class.
However, despite the plethora of stellar achievements, she did not feel satisfied, and immediately she was done, she made that clear to her parents. She eventually went back to school to read the discipline of her choice. So, just like my friend, you can still make the right choice if you feel like you are not walking on the right path at the moment.
If you feel like there is a hole that still needs to be filled despite having accomplished a lot with your life, it might be a sign that you are on the wrong route of life and you need to seriously retrace your steps and start a new path.
2. You’re Seeking Help By Turning To Substances
If you need to turn to drugs or alcohol to help you feel happy in your life, then, there is something amiss and you need to fix it. Having to find solace in alcohol when you are tired or frustrated from your job, career, or line of practice, is a major sign that you might be on the wrong path of life.
I have faced a lot of challenges in my journey as a self-development blogger but I have never been pushed to taking hard and harmful substances to calm myself down, why? Because whenever something poses itself as a challenge, I’d rather chose to see it as an opportunity to learn and become better.
If you do not see your obstacles as opportunities to learn and be better, but instead you whine and cry about how frustrated you are and eventually turn to take hard and harmful substances, then, there is a possibility that you are on the wrong part of life.
3. You Easily Feel Fatigued
Sometimes, your confusion can actually show physical signs as you could show signs of fatigue. When you are caught on the wrong side of life, you tend to constantly lose the enthusiasm meant to keep you going, and in the process, you get tired easily.
Ideally, when you are on the right side, you are not supposed to be tired. Well, one can make excuses for a few times when huge frustrating moments hit you and every ray of light seem to have changed to shadows of darkness.
Times of tiredness and frustration will definitely come but when you start getting tired way too often and everything seems like they are not working out, there is a huge likelihood that you are on the wrong side of life and you need to work on getting yourself together.
4. You Question Everything
If you find yourself questioning your life decisions, it could be a sign that you are on the wrong path of life. I have talked about this at a point above, but I will take out more time to explain it here.
When you are on the right path of life, there is a satisfactory feeling that you get. It’s as soothing as watching a hot knife cutting through baked butter. Even that isn’t a worthy comparison. That feeling is indescribable. It’s a feeling that reassures you that you are doing something right when all hopes seem to be hitting the wall.
When I started blogging, I had a lot of times when I questioned the process. I was confused as to what to do when things were not going as planned. I faced a lot of challenges – enough to make me quit. But there was a drive that kept pushing me from within!
That drive kept whispering to me that in a very short while things would begin to make sense and there was no need to question the process. I got to a point in the process where I realized that I was headed somewhere and instead of seeing the roadblocks as what they are, I saw them as opportunities to learn and grow.
If you do not have that feeling within you, you might not get things right. When you are moved to start questioning your decisions and all, then maybe… just maybe, you might be on the wrong path of life.
5. You Feel Like You Have To Justify Everything
If you find yourself continuously having to defend your decisions and choices, then you might be on the wrong path. When you are doing what you are meant to do, you will never feel the need to justify some of your actions. You just do them. If you ever feel the need to give reasons for pursuing your dreams, then you are probably pursuing the wrong dream.
Most times, the passion alone consumes you so much that you do not have words sufficient enough to describe what you feel regarding your dreams, so, you just do them because no one can understand what you are going after more than you.
Just like in a relationship, you really can’t justify being with the person you are with. You just love them for being who they are. And if you ever find yourself justifying being with them, that’s a clear sign that you are not meant to be in that relationship in the first place.
6. You Lack Inspiration
You know something is wrong somewhere when you can’t feel the drive to go on with what you are doing at the moment. Truthfully, not being inspired is a normal thing for humans. Looking at it from the angle of a writer, there are times when writing seems like the hardest thing to do.
You yank out your laptop with a drive as intense as the heat of a kettle filled with boiling water. But then, the very moment you decide to start writing, you lose all inspiration. This happens to me a lot and what I do is to take breaks. I take a few hours off, walk around, and then come back to work. And most times, I get back the inspiration.
Now, the problem would be when I try every means possible but can’t get the inspiration required. At such times, you should probably consider switching lanes completely because you might be on the wrong path of life.
7. You Have A Feeling That You Are Not Doing What You Are Doing For Yourself But Someone Else
When you begin to nurse a feeling that you are not doing what you are doing for yourself but to please others, you should consider switching lanes. One of the surest signs that you are on the right path of life is that you have the satisfaction of doing what you love. If that feeling is absent, then you are definitely on the wrong side.
8. You Keep Wishing Things Were Different
When you find yourself not being contented with where you are and instead, you are wishing that things were different, then there’s a huge tendency that you are doing something wrong and you might need to re-valuate your decisions.
9. You Get Agitated With Most People Usually For No Reason
So, if you are feeling like you just do not want to be around people for reasons that you do not even know about, it might not be them, it might be you. People who make wrong life decisions actually see reasons to always get angry with people for no reason at all.
10. You Suffer Anxiety
Most people who are on the wrong path of life are usually worried and scared about certain decisions because they lack peace and serenity. The lack of peace might be a result of too many undone projects, an absence of the feeling of satisfaction, and so on. You are anxious and worried about where you are despite doing everything to stop it. You might want to re-evaluate the path you are in.
So, there you have it guys! 10 serious reasons you are on the wrong path of life. If I may add, there is really nothing wrong with suddenly realizing that you are on the wrong path of life. Even the best of us make mistakes. Do not beat yourself over little mistakes. Get up, retrace your steps, and move on to better things.
