Photo by Jill Rath © 2010

You’ve come up with an idea, a goal, a new direction for yourself in a moment of inspiration. You feel your heartbeat quicken, passion pumping through your veins, and can see your desired end-result as clearly as if watching on an HD flat screen T.V. Great feeling, right? The only problem is, you have no clue how to get there. You use all your energy searching for a game plan, but can’t think of one. Maybe a few ideas to plug in, but not enough to fill in all the gaps. Uh-oh. Do you put your fabulous vision on your mind’s back burner until you create a detailed map of action?

Photo by K.C. © 2010 Kristin Conroy

Don’t think you have the courage it takes? I bet you do. Think back on all the times you’ve been forced to take action, things you never would have attempted otherwise, or never thought you could have accomplished.  You had to learn on the fly and adjust quickly as you trekked through uncharted (to you at least) territory.  You may not have traveled in style, but you reached your endpoint, and did a darn good job getting there.

If I’ve lost you with all this insane imagery, let me speak frankly. Always waiting until you have a clear-cut plan before embarking on a life journey will leave you with a really fancy map and itinerary list, but not one souvenir to show for it.

Our paths present themselves mile by mile, yard by yard, or perhaps only footprint by footprint.  Your steps may fall on paved roads, dirt trails, or rocky paths.  But you’ll never know until you take that deep breath, summon up all your courage, and make that first step.  Whatever glorious goals you have for yourself, I encourage you to let go of that need to have everything figured out before acting on them. Be a courageous explorer, a fulfiller of your own life and destiny. Do that, and I’ll wager some travel trinkets you’ll have some really cool adventures to your destination, and inspire others along the way.