A Word to Those Walking “Off the Beaten Path”

The road to happiness and success, in whatever terms you define them for yourself, can be long and difficult. It can be easy to be tempted to veer off your chosen path when you see others who are walking a different path than you (perhaps a more “traditional” path) and ask yourself, “hmm, maybe I should pack it in and go do that instead.”

If you ever feel like that, keep reading, this post s for you…

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about a lesson about “Knocking it Out of the Park” I learned from the Jerry Seinfeld documentary, Comedian (you can read that post here: Knock it out of the Park)

There was actually a second great lesson from that movie that I wanted to share with you…

In one scene, Seinfeld is talking to an up and coming comic, Orny Adams.

Orny is thirty years old and, by comedian standards, he is doing pretty well for himself. However, he feels he is getting older, and he sees his friends who have good jobs, decent incomes, nice houses, spouses and children, and he starts wondering, “What the hell I am doing?”

He’s comparing himself to his friends and then looking back on his life, wondering if he’s made the wrong life decisions.

He mentions this fear to Seinfeld, who shakes his head and laughs, and doesn’t believe Orny could even be asking him such a question. Orny is confused, so Seinfeld tells him a story, which I’ll paraphrase here:

Glen Miller, one of the best selling and best known musicians and bandleaders of the late thirties and early forties, was on his way with his band to a performance when the bus broke down. Across a large field they saw a farmhouse. Having no  other choice, he and his band pick up their instruments and lug them across the field. This is the middle of winter, so it’s cold outside and there is knee deep snow on the ground.

Eventually they get to the farmhouse. They are cold, tired, wet from the snow, and sore from carrying their large instruments all that way. Fortunately, there is a light on in the house.

Glen peers in through a window and sees a family sitting comfortably by the fire. The father is reading a book, the mother is knitting, and the children are happily playing. Everyone looks warm, content, and happy.

Glen turns to a band-mate who is also cold, wet, tired, and sore, and says, “How do people live like that?”

After completing the story, Seinfeld says, “That’s what it’s about. Not being able to do anything else.” The story, though simplistic, reassures Orny that he is on the right path.

If you are taking a “road less traveled,” it can be very easy to look at others who maybe have an “easier” path than you and consider quitting and following their road.

But at the end of it, it’s not about the easiest path. It’s about looking at what you’re doing and saying, “You know, I couldn’t live any other way.”

Of course, this doesn’t only apply to people who are off the beaten path. If you have what many would consider a “normal” life, you may sometimes look at others who are doing creative and exciting things and think, “wow, I wish I was doing that.”

For you, it’s the same deal.

The grass is always greener on the other side, and it’s easy focus on the things other people have that you don’t (material or otherwise). But that doesn’t matter. You need to embrace who you are and follow your path with all your energy and passion.

Not all paths will lead to the same level of fame and riches. But if you follow the wrong path because it looks easier or more rewarding, then you will live a far less fulfilled and happy life than you truly deserve. Follow the right path and realize that you may give up some things for no other reason than the fact that  you couldn’t imagine living any other way.

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Are you planning an event and looking for a great speaker to add humor and energy? Then visit Avish’s Motivational Humorist page now!
 

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By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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