(This is an essay from a self help book I was writing, but temporarily set aside for more important projects, I am sharing it exclusively for the Steemit community)
Despite all out best considerations and efforts, there are some cases where our beliefs are not correct or not in our best interest. It is in these times where we must be wise enough to see our own imperfection, and have the humility to change course. This can be tricky, because there is a balance that must be kept when assessing whether or not we are on the right path. You don’t want to get discouraged by an early failure or challenging obstacles, but at the same time, you also do not want to try to force yourself down a path that is not right for you. Much has been said in the self-help world about embracing failure, and not allowing failure to knock you off your course, and this an extremely important piece of advice. All too often people are discouraged by failure and they abandon following their dreams because they are too afraid of falling short. There is something to be said for perseverance, but it is equally important to know when to stop or change course.
Knowing the difference between a challenge or road block and a true dead end can be difficult, but intuition can be your guide in finding this balance. Even if you are on the correct path, you will still experience obstacles, and these obstacles are oftentimes numerous and seem insurmountable. In fact, it is actually rare to have a smooth ride when you are on the right path, as obstacles are just a natural part of life. Although, when it is time to end any pursuit, your intuition will let you know. Challenges and obstacles may fill us with anxiety, or they may put us in a bad mood from time to time, but this is a temporary and passing thing. When you reach a true dead end, however, you will be filled with an unending and unshakable depression, this is your intuition telling you that it is time to turn back and find another path.
To give some examples, I can share some experiences from my personal life where I had to make the difficult decision of turning against my beliefs and finding the correct path. Career paths are the easiest place to see this dynamic at work, because it is obvious how a person can be beaten down by the wrong job over time. For me, this has happened with every job I ever had, it became entirely obvious when it was time to leave. This was especially true towards the end of my time as a Rave promoter. If you can think back on jobs that you have quit or relationships that you have left, you can likely pinpoint the moment you realized that the situation was not going to work. In these experiences, your intuition guided you on when it was time to give up, and the same can be said for any other type of major life choice, your subconscious will force your conscious to take action in the world so your mind can be set at ease. This spark of intuition has sometimes been described as noticing the “writing on the wall.”
This is also true of personal and philosophical beliefs, it is important to always take in new information and not become entirely dogmatic.
My most recent experience with having to turn back was actually one of the most difficult decisions I had ever made, and it was a decision that could have meant life or death. In 2016 when I was diagnosed with cancer, I was immediately very insistent on refusing chemotherapy and instead opting for natural and alternative treatments. After all, these are the things that I truly believed in, and not only that, I had spent years as an activist writing books and articles about the evils of big pharma and the advantages of natural medicine. And I did follow my heart, I spent a whole year experimenting with various alternative treatments, and I actually ended up seeing positive results. However, after about a year my healing was moving slowly, and although things were headed in the right direction, I was facing complications that made it difficult for me breathe, and there came a time where I had to reassess my beliefs based on the experience that I was having. I still think that there is a place for natural medicine, and I think that it could take the place of mainstream medicine if effort is put into developing it, but by itself, in my condition, it was not enough. If I were too dogmatic in my thinking, I may not be around to write this today.
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John Vibes is an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. He also has a publishing company where he offers a censorship free platform for both fiction and non-fiction writers. John just won a 3-year-long battle with cancer, and will be working to help others through his experience, if you wish to contribute to his medical bills consider subscribing to his podcast to support at https://www.patreon.com/johnvibes