What if the Path Least Travelled was the Path that Brought You Back Home to Yourself?
- Rachelle Innocent
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
I am unlearning a lot.
In thinking back on pivotal moments and the “cookie-cutter” milestones that many of us have experienced in life: I never felt the way I was told I would feel.
Whether it was graduating from school, embarking on a career journey, or the personal relationships, achievements and failures that I experienced (and often endured), I would find myself recognizing the cognitive dissonance between how I felt, and what I told I should feel in response to these moments.
Many of us grew up with narratives that establish the roadmap for happiness, success, and fulfillment. There was a time in my life where I tried to follow the rules in exchange for the set of emotions my obedience ought to have granted me.
Those emotions never showed up.
Rather that rack up a lifetime of almost and regret, I decided to do something different. I decided to listen to myself for a change.
Breaking free from the dogmas that are the undercurrent to most of our lives was never the hardest thing about self-discovery. The most difficult part of aligning to my own sense of purpose was dealing with the outcry, dissent, and blatant ridicule for having the audacity to try. It was the crushing disappointments and the unexpected goodbyes. The closed doors and closed chapters that I didn't realize pursuing inner alignment will introduce.
I felt quite blind-sided by the loss my own rebirth introduced in my life... more than I should've felt in hindsight.
What I failed to consider, is that whoever you are, or are pretending to be right now, that version of you is feeding people, places and situations that are rooted in your self-construct.
When you dismantle the self-construct, and remove your mask, the world you built around it will naturally crumble.
While we can all acknowledge that there is pain in living a lie that will last a lifetime…but I would be remiss if I didn't also share that if you make the hard choice and opt for renewal, there is pain in that too.
There are the tough conversations that you have with yourself... and others.
The hard decisions and goodbyes.
The path least travelled means less company, less support, and less accolades… and while that may take some adjustment, growing through that transition will change you.
You'll start to really recognize to what extent we are born from the thousands of choices we make every day.
When it comes to the most radical choice, the one where we choose ourselves… that journey will introduce you to parts of yourself that you never knew existed. Awaken strengths and hidden potential that will leave you unrecognizable... especially to the people who thought they knew you.
There’s an unspoken bravery, a deep-seated courage, that comes with standing in your light and owning your truth.
It’s not something that anyone can take away from you.
We can choose, and while we have time still left we should choose… to listen to ourselves. We are wired to pursue a version of meaning and fulfillment that is uniquely ours to hold. Rather than sacrifice for a life that was never yours to live, sacrifice to live the life of your own choosing. Rather than suffer the disappointment from failing to meet the expectations of others, why not avoid the disappointment that comes with self-betrayal?
The path was challenging.
Every day, I am figuring all of what still requires unlearning.
Though I express daily gratitude for having made the hard choice. Choosing myself was never the wrong choice.
I
t was the choice that brought me a love that heals.
It was the choice that aligned me to a community that supports.
To the people who protect and empower me.
It’s the reason why I have found my home… thousands of miles away from where everyone thought it would be.
If my words do anything, assuming you’ve made it this far, I hope that they inspire you to choose you, too.
Through the blood, sweat, and tears that will ensue... I hope you come to realize that there is so much more to discover in life than what you thought you knew.
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