Follow a Path instead of a Goal...

My friend Eric said something very profound to me today - he said "...for someone as organic as you are...who follows her path as it unfolds...setting future goals can [be] a little difficult."  You said it Eric - you get me like no one else!

When I look back on my life, I've always followed a path, even when I had a goal or two in mind.  My goal to be a nationally certified massage therapist took me down the most distorted and convoluted path and the process lasted 12 very interesting years! 

Through that time I enjoyed lots of other passions while holding down a demanding and frustrating j-o-b.  I knew that sometime, somewhere in the future I would attain my goal - I just didn't have a set timeline in which to do it and there wasn't a pressing urgent need to attain it either.  I certainly wasn't driven - I simply allowed it to unfold.

All my life people have been trying to push me into a niche.  Catholic schools tried to squeeze me into the Catholicism niche - I struggled with that from birth until I finally left the church when I was 18.  My parents tried to push me into niches of their choice until they finally gave up and spent (and continue to spend) their time enabling my sisters who still don't know how to live like real grown-up adults.
Teachers tried their darnedest to get me into a niche, which I rebelled against much to their dismay - the whole thought of doing one thing all my life scared the heck out of me.  My ex tried to niche me into being a simple stay-at-home woman doing the cleaning and cooking and ironing his shirts (you know, the stand-by-your-man type) and after 14 years of struggle, thinking there was something wrong with me, I finally ditched that scene.  Even now some of my coaches and well-meaning colleagues urge me to find a niche.  They just don't get me.  Eric does, though, and I thank him for that.

So, while out on my walk today, I gave this a lot of thought and I realized I do have a niche!  Are you ready?  My niche is right where I am!  I AM MY NICHE! What a concept! Wherever I go, there I am, in my niche and happy as a clam (oops, pardon the poetry, but it does feel like poetry in motion!). 

Whether it's doing bodywork, writing articles, watching the birds in my backyard, coaching clients, hanging out with friends, traveling with my dad, building websites, meditating, doing administrative work for clients, kick boxing, watching my favorite movies, I'm in my element - right here, right now.  Whew!  Glad I have that all figured out.   Now everyone can drop the niche thing, ok? [grin]

My niche is the moment.  After all, the moment is all we have, isn't it?