Destinations and journeys

Knowing yourself

I have this childhood friend, Francisca. Francisca always knew that she wanted to become an architect. I’m pretty sure she knew that was her destiny long before I met her in third grade. While I dreamed of becoming a space cowgirl, and then a veterinarian, and then a marine biologist, and then a novelist, and then a K-pop star, Francisca admirably stuck to her vision through the years. She eventually earned her degree in architecture and works at an architecture firm today.

It impressed me that she knew who she was (at least career wise) so early on. She answered her calling in her hero’s journey and returned from her adventure an older and wiser architect-hero. It was textbook fairytale. I was envious.

And to be honest, I’m still a teensy bit envious today. I’ve always wondered what it was like to just know, to trust the guidance and intuition of something within yourself that had been planted, seemingly, at birth.

Lately though, I wonder if I’ve been following my intuition this whole time after all. It’s just not as obvious, led by personal values I’ve discovered through trial and error. They’re things that have revealed themselves over time and experience.

When something excites me or resonates with my values, I take the opportunity. If it doesn’t, I can quickly filter it out. I didn’t used to be so speedy about my decisions; that came from taking the time to know myself.

There’s value (and adventure! My favorite) both in the destination and the journey. However the path before us looks—long, short, a straight shot, or a tangled one, we all eventually find ourselves.