In fact, life is a long journey on which we continuously make decisions where we go next and what we do there. It can be a passive one when the circumstances of life will make us face a variety of situations. It can also be an active one when we ourselves determine, through our thoughts, decisions and attitudes, what our journey and, ultimately, our life will be like. Do we live passively or actively? Read 10 recommendations how to follow your own way actively.
1) Live for yourselves
Going on your own way in life should begin by realizing that YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR YOURSELVES. No, it is not being selfish, it is being sincere. People form the society and are here not just for themselves, but also for the others. We possess a great potential for development, cooperation and help (which can be proven by charity collections and financial amounts donated to people in need). It is, however, rather hard to help the others if we do not know how to help ourselves. In other words, I should refrain from saying how big is my love for the other people if my love for myself is non-existent. Quite possibly I do not know how to tell, feel and give love. Once I have learned what love is, I can "give" it. The same applies to knowledge or help. I have to master my trade first, and only then I can provide consultancy and help others. First of all, I give knowledge to myself to learn and experience it. By making the proper use of it I can be beneficial to people around me. Only after I have somewhere to work from, my own means, I will be best positioned to help the others. 2) The Decision
When you decide to go on a journey you need to take the first step. Always. Making such a decision means not only seeing the need for the journey rationally and its benefits, but also having the internal urge that this journey is just what you need. There is a need to combine FEELING with REASON when THE HEAD is complementing THE HEART. Even though the journey is going to be hard, we will always have two guides along - THE HEAD and THE HEART to drive us forward. It is, therefore, essential thay they pull together. 3) A real step forward
The second step is to take a real step forward :-) Indeed, a thousand-mile journey begins in a single initial step. This phrase has been resonating in my ears for years, sadly, I have forgotten its author. You have to do something real, something that is going to kick-start your creativity. In my case, years ago, it was the OwnWay project. The first step was - a pencil and paper, drawings, notes, links, the need for consultants, companies´ needs. Today, there is a network of consultants from practice, a portal that already boasts its 3rd version, and a philosophy much appreciated by the customers. Until today I have trouble understanding why nobody has created a consultancy portal their own way. WE CAN ALWAYS BRING SOMETHING NEW. 4) We do not walk alone
You have taken the first step, feeling all alone in the vast space of possibilities? Believe me: YOU NEVER WALK ALONE along your own way of life. Listen, perceive and look around you. Listen to other people talking about what things have worked for them and HOW. Do not assess anything. Keep searching for things that come more natural to you and that you know how to use. It is what is close to your heart and logical to your mind. You are going to discover that there are many people around you who have the experience and something to say. However, count on the fact that the correct answers to your questions will be provided by an experienced professional. You simply do not want a financial advice from a hotel receptionist etc.
5) Own way
Well, well, it is so cool to walk along a wide, well-trodden macadam road, following in the footsteps of trail-blazing individuals and experienced practitioners. That does not necessarily mean it is the road for you, though. Everybody is different and everybody should follow their own way. Besides, we can only gain relevant experience through doing things for real. Pioneering new roads generates such relevant experience. Why should we be reinventing the wheel, you may argue? Yet, can we really get to know the road that we just walk comfortably along? Do we thus gain experience that we can capitalize on? Here is my recommendation - do not follow the well-trodden paths, look for new ones, your own ones. 6) Write down your own experience
You have set out on your own journey. This is great. Initially, when you acquire new information, it is crystal clear and easy to remember. Gradually, there will be more and more of it, so it gets easier to forget some of the older. After all, you live now, at the present moment, with what you can recall from memory. The ability to use information at the right moment, unfortunately, is hampered by our failing memory. Thus, having a chance to come back to your older information is not at all bad. Especially because, in the course of time, you begin to see it in a different light and reveal a bit of its other meaning. If you write down the newly acquired information, complete with the date, you will then get a description of your own journey. The journey that you have walked for yourselves. Write down and capture your own unique experience. 7) Do not get lost in the fog
If you know exactly where you are with the direction of your journey, then be aware of the fog that may come. It is a condition in which, all of a sudden, you are not sure whether you are heading in the right direction. There is no telling where your next step will lead you. The way you have chosen becomes invisible. Even your feelings will give you no hint. You have reached a point in time when you need to slow down and get back in your thoughts to the beginning of your journey. What did you set out on the journey for? Your good old notebook will serve you best here. Go over your notes again and read what you are trying to resolve and where you are going to get. And, perhaps, you might recap all the problems you have managed to resolve so far. Trust me, every fog is eventually going to dissolve. When it happens, you can look around and be on your way again. Making long-term decisions in the fog is no good.
8) Do not be afraid to make a mistake
Generally speaking, fear constrains. On no account it should prevent us from launching new activities. Only through practical activities, where we see what was useful and what failed, we can gain some experience. The experience that we can further apply on our own way. All those who have accomplished something have also made lots of mistakes. They just know too well there is no space for repeating those mistakes. Strictly. And, on principle, each mistake needs to be rectified. Rest assured that what eventually counts is the results. If your result is newly acquired experience and a rectified mistake, you will be richer for yourselves. The rest of them will know they would not have learned anything without making mistakes and, also, that you have made your mistake good. You can be relied on. 9) There is time for everything, not even an apple gets ripe in a day
You have experienced the feeling of having the drive, the clear target and the desire. You are sparing no expence trying to meet that target. Yet everything seems to be falling flat? In many cases, even if you increase your efforts, all you get in exchange is a negative response. You are getting tired, feeling that nothing is worth the trouble. What if things looked different? There is time for everything. You cannot harvest apples from an apple-tree in spring, can you? In spring you sow a seed, then take care of it and wait until it brings the fruit. You have chosen the right soil, fertilizers, watering it and protecting it from pests. Only after that, in autumn, you can harvest beautiful apples. The same principles apply on your own way through life. When you are having trouble achieving something, ask - is it the right time and the right environment, are the people ready ... ? 10) Our journey is not supposed to do harm
Most people tend to hold the view that their own journey is going to be successful throughout. One success is going to be followed by another, their targets fulfilled, their faces all smiles for most of the time. The most beautiful smile is when you are not smiling alone and the reason for the smile is the beauty and the good work around you. But is it achievable in the long-term perspective? In my own experience, I do know it is. One of the essential preconditions is that none of your smiles should be at the expense of somebody else´s grief. Your deeds are not supposed to harm anybody else or the environment around. 
