Don’t listen to people who want your best

Because your best to them is usually what was or is their best.

And their best is usually not your best.

Most people want to protect you from taking the road less traveled. Because that road less traveled is full of road blocks. And they know that removing those road blocks is tough. Really tough. And it really is.

Maybe they’ve tried to remove those roadblocks themselves some time in the past. And maybe at one point they’ve given up. And went back to that paved road where there are no obvious roadblocks.

Even though there are no obvious roadblocks there, the dangers are almost as big if not bigger than the ones you might encounter on the road less traveled.

And because these roadblocks are not so obvious and everything seems to be flowing quite smoothly, until it doesn’t anymore, the roads everyone takes might be even more dangerous than the roads less traveled.

The end of a traffic jam comes all of a sudden and totally out of the blue. It never announces itself. You never know when it’s going to happen. You never know when it’s your turn. That’s what makes it one of the most dangerous places to be in.

Just like that never ending traffic jam. That traffic jam that seems to slow down everything. Your life, your career, everything. That traffic jam that makes you feel like you’re stuck in life. It kills slowly.

And those are the not so obvious dangers of taking the safe road. Of following the advice of people who want your best. People who want to pull you back onto the seemingly safe road where everything runs smoothly, until it doesn’t anymore.

What was best for them and what might have worked for them back in the days doesn’t work anymore today.

So no matter what road you’re on, try to make sure you’re prepared for its dangers. The not so obvious and unexpected ones, just like the more obvious ones…

Originally published at yanngirard.typepad.com.