Do you ever wonder about the path not taken? Have you ever considered where you might be at this very moment if you would’ve made a different decision somewhere along the way? The most important question is: How do thoughts like that make you feel?

Your thoughts are just the content. How you feel about them generates the magnetism that either leads you to what you want or repels it from you.

Being conscious of your feelings and having the presence and awareness to shape them to serve you is the key to manifestation.

It’s rather likely that somewhere along the line you’ve thought something like this. “I wonder where I’d be if I had taken that trip?” “If only I had put that thousand dollars into Apple stock back in the 90s!” “Where would I be now if I had stayed in that relationship?”

Those are all hypotheticals, and no matter which one of the infinite number of questions like that that you might ask yourself, there is only one answer. You wouldn’t be where you are right now.

Imagine your life‘s path as a green line. You’re standing at the dividing line between your past and your future. Behind you, at every decision point you passed, is a black line that branches off representing the path you did not take. An infinite number of parallel universes, if you will.

Now, look forward into the future. That green line starts branching off into different possibilities in the next minute or less. Are you going to step away from the screen and reach out to that old friend you’ve been meaning to call? Is it time to close the door on a troubling relationship for good? Is now the time to grab onto that cubic centimeter of chance and reinvent yourself once and for all?

Regardless of which path you take, looking ahead the world is your oyster. From this moment forward every possible path is green. Facing the future you see a playground of possibilities, a cornucopia of choice. Your rearview mirror simply reveals your record of prior decisions. And beware, this can be a minefield of misery if you allow yourself to wallow in regret, remorse, or perhaps worst of all, grievance.

So here’s the ninja trick for picking the proper path in the next five seconds. If you find yourself pondering the possibilities of your prior paths not taken, banish any feelings of sadness or regret. Free yourself of FOMO, there is no need to fear what you may have missed out on.

Instead, breathe in gratitude for where you are right now and exhale forgiveness and acceptance for every ‘less-than’ moment behind you. In other words, give yourself a break.

Sure, it’s easy to imagine shining scenarios you never stepped into, but the fact that you’re reading this means that you are alive and breathing at this very moment and that’s where the rubber hits the road. Ignore the glittering ghosts of your unlived past and give thanks for each and every blessing in your life right now.

No matter how shiny and seductive one of those hypothetical black branches of your previous path might be, the fact remains that had you taken it, whatever is best in your life right now would almost certainly not exist.

What lies ahead is choice. What rests behind is compost for your consciousness. Use your free will to feed the feelings that will serve you best.

Much love and happy manifesting till next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine