― Maya Angelou
“This is the end, there is nothing for me beyond this point”.
I think everyone has said these words at least once. They come to our minds when life seems to have conquered us, when there is nothing else we could do; when it feels like we just... lost. It is one of those feelings that just hit you with one bad news, one second of terrifying truth that just seemed to erase all your efforts, all your hopes and everything you believed in. The words just pass in front of you and your image of the future is just shattering right before you, disappearing as if it was a piece of weak, old paper under cold water.
In that moment you feel like there is no north, no path and no reasons to walk, no direction or purpose, as though you lost your chances in this world.
But even in the exact moment those words cross your mind, there is a little detail you may be overlooking:
You are still here.
And as long as you are breathing, you still have a chance.
We, now-not-so-young people that are still trying our hardest to find our place in this over-saturated world. We, born in a really difficult time, were raised to build a path and follow it since we were really young. We were told that if we kept walking, someday we would arrive somewhere great.
But what if that wasn’t the right path? What if we were led into a dead end? Or, even worse, into a never-ending rail that takes us nowhere? Did we waste our chances then?
For some people, the short answer would be simply “yes”. For others, the considerate answer would be “no”. I would say that the long, more accurate answer would be “Depends on whether or not you are willing to keep walking, after all, you already walked to this point”.
Kind of a rude answer, isn’t it?
Even if I agree, that wouldn’t make that answer any less true, or any less necessary.
You see, once we reach that point where there’s nothing left ahead, where everything we were fighting for suddenly got completely taken away from us, when we feel we wasted all our time and energy and realize we can’t just turn back time to make better decisions… in that moment we can’t see options, we can’t see that maybe we spent our lives preparing for that moment; the moment we create a new path, and keep walking.
Some roads in life are not meant to be, are not meant to have a happy ending. Maybe they are meant to teach us as much as we can learn, maybe we walked down that road just so we could realize that that was not “our thing” and never have to wonder “what if?”.
Maybe you walked through all that just so you could reach this end, look back and take with you all the good parts, all the good memories, and move on to a new story in which, this time, you actually get to be the main character.
Yes, that thing you were hoping for, that thing you probably wanted more than anything, didn’t happen, it wasn’t for you. You weren’t admitted into that school, you weren’t selected for that job, you didn’t get into that sports team or maybe the person you always thought that was for you suddenly decided you are not for them (or maybe you decided they’re not for you). Yes, that scene in your life where you were meant to play that specific part is suddenly over, is definitely now behind you, and it didn’t take you where you dreamed it would.
Even so, you have to open your mind to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, it took you somewhere better.
Maybe it took you to that point you finally decide to open your own business, or to practice a new skill or to write that book you’ve had in your head for ages. Maybe this is the moment you are supposed to shine instead of being the shadow of your own expectations. Maybe this is YOUR moment.
And maybe, just maybe, life wanted you right here all along.
Right here in this point where you are forced to do what you were meant to do. Exactly in this place where you can be you without any chains, the moment you can take the chance and make the biggest change in your life for the better.
Right here, in this beautiful spot where you thought all hopes were lost, you can be reborn into something great, something worth writing about.
Exactly here in this very place, could be the best start ever. This could be the beginning, your beginning…
Right here, right now… Where the road ends.