“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”
This quote is by Joseph Campbell, an American writer and professor of literature whose best-known book is The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
When I first read this quote, I thought of how it could refer to a person’s choice of career. We might decide to attend college, a technical school, or some other post-high school program, or to instead apply for a job right out of high school. It’s also fairly common to change jobs or to return to school to prepare for a different profession. Whatever work we do makes up a large part of how we spend our time and becomes part of our identity. And yet our occupation is only one of the many aspects of our lives for which we plan.
Campbell’s words are an observation that planning and making decisions from just an ego perspective are limiting, for there are many other influences that affect who we are and what we do. We are affected by unforeseen occurrences, by the many people with whom we come into contact, by the way other people treat us, by the books and articles we read, by our unconscious phenomena such as projection and complexes, and in many other ways.
I believe that Campbell’s words about the life “that is waiting for us” refer to following our individual path, or trying our best to do so, by endeavoring to discern that which our inner wisdom conveys to us though our dreams, synchronicities, intuition, and unexpected happenings. Following our path in major decisions, such as those having to do with our relationships and our career, as well as in smaller day-to-day decisions. It also means drawing upon the courage and perseverance given to us to deal with challenges that arise, as well as experiencing the joyful times we are given. These are all aspects of the life waiting for us when we take steps toward becoming the unique individuals we were created to be.