Wayfinding

Wayfinding involves figuring out where we are, where we want to go and how to get there, especially when the answers are not immediately obvious.

It means we have to be willing to let it take as long as it takes. That’s the hard part, because it often runs counter to our modern-day cultural values of fast and easy. If we knew the answers, we would have found them already.

Take a moment and think of something in your life—dealing with a significant change or challenge—where you willingly let it take as long as it did. I’ll admit, I was hard-pressed to come up with anything worth mentioning for most of my years. How many of us are conditioned to strive, to push, to go-go-go and achieve as fast as we can? Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing. But what we overlook is the need to be discerning, to really see when we benefit from by striving and pushing, and when it gets in our way.

Better grades, new skills, moving from simple to advanced tasks—these clearly improve with practice and persistence.

But when you are looking for depth and meaning, to become more conscious and aware, when life gets real and your usual ways to cope fall short, when major change or events call you to question your identity or recognize that you’ve outgrown old choices or dreams—tell me, how do you make that fast and easy? How do you push and strive to find answers to those kind of questions?

The only answer I’ve found for myself is: you can’t. There’s no way to set a timeline or “win” by pushing harder. It takes practice, yes, and persistence as well. But also acceptance and surrender. That’s the willingness. Willingness not only to let it take as long as it takes, but willingness to forgive yourself if it takes longer than you wanted (and it almost always takes longer than you want).

Wayfinding is like taking the scenic route. You might hit a few dead ends, and it might take longer to get where you want to go. But you also end up discovering things you wouldn’t otherwise, things that add texture and richness to your life, while coaxing out pieces of your truth that were hidden away. Wayfinding offers up the possibility (and permission) to change directions.

We can still insist on fast and easy, of course. But we know that it doesn’t always work. So it helps to get clear and decide whether to stay where we are, or be willing to keep going, and see where that takes us.