Rethinking success, fulfillment, and what comes next

I’ve been dragging lately, and it doesn’t feel great. I’m not exactly sure where my path leads — or if I’m even on a path. The truth is, the work I do is a dead end, and I know it. But it’s comfortable, and it provides the freedom I crave. I work independently, providing business development and consulting services. I don’t have many clients, and I’m not looking to expand. The clients I do have, respect and appreciate me, but there’s no growth with them. It just is what it is. And I guess that’s okay.

But then I question, — what is this “dead end” I’m talking about? Is there a destination I’m supposed to be headed toward? And if there was, how would it feel?

I mean, I’ve been there before — strict goals, a clear path laid out. But no matter how much we stay strong, stay disciplined, adhere to the path… it doesn’t lead to joy. Maybe some momentary excitement, like the feeling I got when I bought my first car, my first laptop, or a new outfit. So why is it so ingrained in us that we have to be headed somewhere? In relationships and in careers — we’re expected to move in a specific direction and to always have a purpose in all aspects of life.

Is there really a Point A and Point B? Well, yes, there’s always a Point A because that’s the here and now. And since we believe in Point B — a future destination — we believe in goals and in always knowing where we’re headed. I mean, we don’t just hop into a car or on a plane without a plan, without a destination in mind. So sure, having a plan is good.

But things go awry when we cling to the plan. When we become attached to it. When we obsess over it.

I heard a quote recently from Stephen Hawking

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

I’ll add to that and say — it’s being able to accept the shift, the turbulence. Being able to redirect our efforts, to reinvent ourselves if it feels right. To allow our evolution to unfold right in front of us.

When we redirect, new routes and opportunities appear — ones that weren’t available to the version of us that stood at Point A just two months ago. That version of us wouldn’t have even been able to see these new possibilities.

So I stay open. I keep treading, walking the path, being in each moment — not blowing up what is. Not self-sabotaging and destroying what I’ve built, but remaining open to new paths, accepting the changes that will unfold. Slowly but surely. Version 2.0 of me didn’t see what version 2.1 of me can see now.

I accept change as a natural part of the journey. These shifts will come — I’ve been waiting for them. But maybe it’s better to just accept each moment as it comes, open to the new possibilities. Because they will come.

And whether we label them as good or bad — that’s just perception. It’s how we see them in the moment, with whatever energy we’re carrying. But fast-forward ten years, and we often look back at those same moments in a completely different light.

Maybe when it was happening, it felt like the worst thing ever. But five, ten years later, we look back and say, Wow. What a blessing.