"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood"

"And sorry I could not travel both."

"And both that morning equally lay. In leaves no step had trodden black."

I experienced another life-altering event this week. Thankfully, this one wasn't as painful and disconcerting as that from earlier this year. On the contrary, it was almost life-affirming. While daunting at first, I came to realise that a single act of courage could bring forth the promise of a future that is alive with possibility.

"The most important person to keep your promises to, is yourself." (Unknown)

The only unfortunate thing about this past week was that I was so preoccupied with life events (in general) that I couldn't finish the book I had planned for this week (Ken Robinson's The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything). Suffice it to say, I was a little derailed this week, but since I've made a promise to myself to post every week (outside of holiday breaks), I won't break that promise. In addition to a multitude of books and podcasts, I have drawn inspiration from poetry and short prose throughout this (now) ten-and-a-half-month journey. There is a seemingly endless supply of worthy content for me to focus on, and I love it. So, given that I couldn't finish the book in time, I scoured the recesses of my brain for a replacement text and remembered the following poem by Julian Barker, which you can find on the West Berkshire Council website. As with many of the works I've covered, texts often lead me to or remind me of other significant texts. This week is no different.

"Well-trodden pathways are easy to continue along."

The Pathways of Your Mind

Our thoughts are pathways in the mind.

Well-trodden pathways are easy to continue along.

We know their way.

We know their destination.

If that is not a good place, we need to find a way off the path.

Create a crossroad in the path

Decide to take a different way.

My interpretation of the above text is that it's a poetic way of expressing what Dr. Joe Dispenza has written about ad infinitum. The "well-trodden pathways" Julian Barker mentions are our habitual thought patterns, his version of what Dr. Dispenza would rephrase as "Neurons that fire together, wire together." Consistent thoughts and experiences fortify particular neural pathways. Continuously thinking in the same manner reinforces existing patterns. We're familiar with these thoughts/paths, and there's a perverse feeling of comfort in that familiarity. Despite knowing that some thought patterns take us down dark paths, we're sometimes powerless to stop them. But, like Julian Barker writes, "If that is not a good place, we need to find a way off the path/Create a crossroad in the path/Decide to take a different way."

"Decide to Take a Different Way"

It's not the whole answer, but it helps.

Any transformation requires an altered mindset. Dr. Dispenza asserts that to create new neural pathways, one must think new thoughts, feel different emotions, and behave in new ways. This process rewires the brain to form new habits and achieve different results. The author highlights the significance of mental rehearsal—vividly envisioning desired behaviours and outcomes. The brain reacts as though the experience is genuine, creating new connections without any physical activity. In addition, he writes that intense emotions (such as joy, gratitude, and love) chemically signal the body that a new reality is unfolding. This emotional intensity helps solidify the new neural pattern. Similar to acquiring a new skill, creating new pathways requires regular daily practice, particularly through meditation, visualisation, and mindfulness. Essentially, Dr. Dispenza explains that it's possible to rewire your brain to overcome past conditioning and develop a new, empowered self, beginning with your thoughts.

"The Road Not Taken"

In one of his most famous works, the Four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Robert Frost, said much the same thing as Julian Barker and Dr. Joe Dispenza:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

No ifs, ands, or buts.

In brief, Robert Frost's poem explores the choices we face in life. Written in the first person, Frost's speaker finds himself in a forest and encounters a fork in the road. He must decide which one to take because he cannot take both of them. Thematically speaking, Frost suggests that the choices we make shape our lives and that hindsight serves as an excellent teacher.

I have been standing at a crossroads for a long time. Not sure where to go, but I know I can't stay where I am. I know so many of the answers, but I find myself taking the same paths day in and day out, knowing full well that it will lead me to the same place, even if I know it's not a good place to be. One day I'll speak and write about the life-altering choice I made this week, but today is not that day. It is definitely "a road less traveled" (for me), and I hope that it will take me where I want to be.

If you'd like to read the full version of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken, it's available on the Poetry Foundation website.

---

Coming Up Next Week (Take 2)

I have started a delightful, thought-provoking, brilliant book written by Ken Robinson called Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. I'm looking forward to writing about it next week.

---

#anxiety #depression #mindfulness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #thereisnostigma #youarenotalone #selfhelp #selfcare #wellness

---