The Dirt Road to Your New Life

Day 3: When the old rulebook stops working

I woke up thinking, "Who the hell am I?" That voice trying to pull me back to safety, back to the familiar concrete path. But I recognized it - it's the old pattern, the old rulebook trying to convince me there's only one way to live this life.

You know the script: school → job → retire → die. One path for everyone, stay safe, don't deviate. That worked for some people, but it's burning out millions of others.

Here's what they don't tell you: you're NEVER too old, young, or scared to start something completely new.

When Life Gives You Setbacks

Life gives us setbacks that change us forever - trauma, divorce, death, loss, illness. But here's what no one mentions in those motivational Instagram posts: we don't just "get over it" and return to our original path.

We can't go back to the old road because we're different now. We're forever changed after that event. That road we were on? It no longer exists for the person we've become.

It's like having a callus that makes you walk differently. You keep looking for that familiar concrete path, but it doesn't exist anymore. Your feet have changed. Your gait has shifted. Now you're on the dirt road - the unknown.

The Elephant in the Room

Random fact: Elephants create paths through the wilderness that other animals follow for decades. One brave elephant walks into the unknown and creates a highway for everyone else.

Maybe that's what we're doing here. Maybe starting over isn't just about us - it's about creating paths for others who are still afraid to leave their concrete.

The Truth About Starting New

Starting new is SUPPOSED to be uncomfortable. Everyone successful walked this dirt road first. They got dirty, they sneezed, they felt lost and scared and wondered what the hell they were doing.

But here's what I'm learning:

Enthusiasm fluctuates, consistent action accumulates.

The question isn't whether you feel like it today. It's who you want to become tomorrow.

Some days, you'll want to crawl around blindly in the dirt until you find that familiar warm concrete leading you down the path you envisioned. But you'll never find it. Why? Because that path was for the person you used to be.

Today's Experiment

Crumpled Ink Day 3: Today, I choose the dirt road over the concrete path that no longer exists.

Every day, I try something on for size. Maybe it'll make it into my bound book at the end, or maybe it will get crumpled up tomorrow. But the point is to try it on and see how it fits.

Today's experiment: choosing uncertainty over the illusion of security.

The Challenge

Try the dirt road for 30 days. See where it leads. Stop looking for the path that was meant for who you used to be and start walking the one that's being created by who you're becoming.

Yes, it's scary. Yes, you'll want to quit. Yes, you'll get dirty and uncomfortable and wonder what you've gotten yourself into.

But here's the beautiful truth: every step you take on that dirt road is creating a pathway for someone else who's afraid to leave their concrete.

You might just be the elephant that creates the highway.

Day 3 of walking into the unknown. Join me on this dirt road - we might just create a path for others.