Ordnance Survey for life

Sometimes I like to think about how I got to where I am in life.  It’s an interesting exercise, and one that I feel can help in planning a future direction.

There are a million different ways things could have turned out but, because of a specific set of choices, I ended up…here.  I find it fascinating.

Updating a CV is an interesting exercise, because it puts on paper the path you’ve taken career-wise until now. Looking at mine, I can clearly see how I progressed from one job to another, each time discovering things I wanted to do and things I didn’t, shedding some of the ‘unwanted’ and gaining more of the ‘wanted’ with each new job.

Eventually, I’ve arrived at a place where I have a clearer understanding of the career I want.  But it’s only in hindsight I can see the path – back when I was 20 or 25, I had no idea what I wanted to do and it was only through experience I found out.  I guess this goes back to my post, Caught up in the moment, and the idea of trying stuff until you find what you want to do.

Looking back in this way helps me remember that not everything happens overnight, which relieves some of the stress and urgency.  It can be frustrating not being where you want to be – I may want to be a writer, but some days I feel a long way from being one.  And I might well be!  But I’m on the right road.  So, whilst I might not be a published author today, I can still rest in the knowledge that I’m making progress this week, this month, this year.  And in ten years’ time, who knows?  Maybe I’ll be able to look back on the path and see the progress I was making.

I think we can apply this to all sorts of areas in life, not just work.  Want a relationship?  Meeting people is a sure way of making progress towards it – even people of the same sex have family and friends you might meet!  You never know who might turn up at that next birthday party…  Want to live in a mansion?  Maybe start with a small house and progressively up-size over the years…!  (Ok, so we’ve established you shouldn’t employ me for my real estate savvy!)

Of course, sometimes things happen just by happy chance.  I didn’t move to Leamington for its social scene or music life, but I’ve stumbled upon what seems to be a unique little oasis of cool musical events.  I couldn’t have planned for that, I probably couldn’t have even researched and found out about it.  I just so happened to land in this town.  Call it luck, fate, chance – whatever.  Personally, I think things happen for a reason, and it’s nice to see such ‘reason’.  But I can’t plan for things like that.

So I guess I’m left with thinking about where I’ve come from, being mindful of where I am, and remembering that the journey isn’t over.  The things I’m doing now are all on the map of this thing we call ‘life’.

And, if I keep making twee statements like that, one of these days I might apply to Hallmark…