Billy Osogo
Njia panda is the Swahili word for crossroad. Every now and then we find ourselves at a njia panda. Two opportunities arise. Too good to lose. Yet a choice must be made. Sleepless nights kick in. Pulling out of hair begins. Mental paralysis makes itself at home.
The simple truth is that there’s nothing simple about being at a crossroad in life. A big part of that is because the choice is often between what we know (read as comfort/routine) and what we don’t know but see potential in.
One of the most rewarding books that has gotten me through plenty of crossroad moments is The Art of Work by Jeff Goins. I’d like to share five pieces of advice he gives herein that spoke to me.
“What I have come to understand is that finding your purpose is more of a path than a plan. It involves twists and turns that you never expected. Ultimately, those surprises lead you to your destiny. And once you arrive at what you thought was your destination, you realize it’s only another leg in your journey.”
“What we all want is to know our time on earth has meant something. We can distract ourselves with pleasure for only so long before beginning to wonder what the point is. This means if we want true satisfaction, we have to rise above the pettiness of our own desires and do what is required of us. A calling comes when we embrace the pain, not avoid it.”
“We all have some understanding of what we’re supposed to do with our lives. We may not realize it or perhaps we lost it, but it’s there, waiting to be uncovered. What we need then is not a map but a shovel. A set of tools to start digging.”
“Nothing is wasted. No job, no task, no obstacle is useless, if we are willing to see how it can fit into our calling.”
“The truth, in spite of what we might believe about remarkable people, is that you cannot master a skill on your own. Finding your calling will not happen without the aid and assistance of others. Every story of success is, in fact, a story of community.”
Indulge me, what gets you through your crossroad moments in life? What lessons have you derived from that experience in hindsight?
Hey Billy! I love these quotes. I feel like we’re at humanities crossroad right now. We can either keep going down the road we know or we can climb the mountain to the left. I’m guessing the view will be far nicer if we go left.
“We can distract ourselves with pleasure for only so long before beginning to wonder what the point is.”
– love this.
Thanks Billy
Hey AP😃
I am glad you enjoyed this post 😊
I couldn’t agree more with you. This era truly marks a crossroad of humanities. To the left… To the left 🎶. The view must be way better!
It’s good to hear from you buddy. Thank you for making time. Stay safe 😊
For me, I understand “Being at a crossroads” is something we do multiple times per day!
We are faced with many seemingly small choices which can have a huge impact in our lives and the lives of others if we choose to behave differently!
In an instant, if we give into anger or frustration, we can create life altering circumstances. If we step in to intervene in someone else’s outburst, we can change the course of events.
A crossroads exists in our daily lives which can impact our lives moving forward!
Never underestimate the power of simple choices!
Blessings!
Tamara
Hey Tamara 😃
The power of simple choices🙌🏿🙌🏿
That’s powerful!
Thank you for making time 😊
😊 my pleasure! Have a wonderful day!
When I reach a crossroads I try to do 2 things: consider what I’ve done in the past, and think about my plans for the future. Usually, this guides me to what I need to do
That’s sounds very helpful!
Thank you for making time 😊
Great post. I have been following Jeff Goins over several years now and have seen him undergo a dramatic transformation in recent times. I have just hit a significant birthday milestone (or millstone depending on your perception of age) and cannot believe how fast the last 10 years have gone. Career and purpose are huge crossroads. I was forced into a redundancy before I was willing to let go of that position. But it did coincide with my husband and I moving to the country and starting a new life. My job and living in the city was slowly destroying me but like many people we hang on because we do not want to confront the fear of change. But we only move forward when we embrace change. My life is not perfect but I now have the time and place to complete a transition from my old life to something which allows me to pursue those passions that I want to follow.
Hey Kianga😃
This is such insightful feedback!
“We only move forward when we embrace change,” that’s powerful!!
Thank you for making time 😊
The older we get the wiser we must become to make the most of what precious time we have left!
“Being at crossroad” is something that we always face in our lifetime.
For me, the hardest part of being at crossroad is when I have to make decision that will affect many people. Because I have to think and list what’s the pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages among the choices. And I’ll choose that has the lowest disadvantages.
Thank you for sharing. Have a great day 😄
Hey Luna 😃
Listing pros and cons is a timeless way to go about crossroad moments 👏🏿
Thank you for making time 😊
Great picture to illuminate the message A.B. In my experience, the crossroads meant that I had to take a leap of faith beyond the intellect, and the cost benefit analysis of pros and cons. It meant surrendering to the will of the Universe, and trust that my boat would take me to the shores. Thank you for asking. Ari
Hey Ari😃
That leap of faith makes all the difference in those crossroad moments!
I hope your boat gets you safely to shore.
Thank you for making time 😊
Thank you for sharing these words of advice! The first four, I had already experienced recently (since I started my own business last year) but the last one I have only recently started understanding. It was great to read it the way it was written. It put very abstract ideas I had into a concrete concept. “The truth, in spite of what we might believe about remarkable people, is that you cannot master a skill on your own. Finding your calling will not happen without the aid and assistance of others. Every story of success is, in fact, a story of community.” — I love it!
Hey Jones!
It’s my pleasure 😊.
I am glad these words resonated with you.
Thank you for making time 😊
Stay safe.
Self examination, keeping a journal, honesty with myself and a sense of humor to vent stress.
Hey Rebecca!
These are great points.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for making time 😊
I think you really chose some introspection provoking quotes, and I especially like the one about rising above the pettiness of our own desires to do what is necessary. For me personally I do not think there is a one situation fits all approach to being at a crossroad. There are innumerable types of crossroads it seems, and often something different must be brought forth within myself to determine how I want to handle things. Sometimes though my approach when I can’t be at peace with any of the crossroads pathway offerings is to hack my way through the underbrush to make something different. I don’t always know that I will like this new path any better, but at least then there is the hope that I might like it better than one of the others. Wishing you a great day 😊 Ariana
Hey Ariana 😃
Thank you for your kind words 😊
I couldn’t agree more. There are no cookie cutter solutions for crossroads.
Hence my joy at the gems that you and everyone else in the comment section is sharing. It makes for an eclectic arsenal!
Thank you for making time 😊
Stay safe.
I hope you are also able to stay safe 😊