‘Discover’ is a genuinely captivating word. It signifies the act of unearthing something that was previously unknown to us, and that was not part of our awareness until it was.
‘Discovery’ is an even more complex word with vast meaning.
If you’re a Trekkie, discovery is everything. Wasn’t discovery the whole point of the Starfleet hovering weightless through the cosmos in their steel orbicular ship? They were encountering new planets, unknown populations, unique problems, and, more accurately, "exploring strange new worlds…and boldly going where no man has gone before."
Exploring and boldly going where neither we nor anyone has gone is an exciting journey of discovery; especially if you are open to the raw aspects of the new.
In our templatized world, where our days are often so routinized that we experience them on auto-pilot, isn’t stepping in a new direction (one that is yet to be trodden to the point of not even noticing the surroundings since we’ve been down the path so many times before) refreshing?
What if we stepped off-trail every once in awhile and trekked toward the sights and sounds of something new?
I’ve been playing with stepping into the new and forging paths that haven’t been prescribed for me. Sometimes, heading down a new footpath can be exciting—curiosity and the thrill of the unknown lighting the way.
At other times, going in a different direction can make us feel off-kilter or even afraid since the new path is no longer illuminated with the familiar. Taking the first steps to head east when you are so used to charging west can require a bold sense of courage.
What would be different in our lives if you and I stopped settling for the status quo and sought the adventure of something new? Sure, this question challenges our comfort, complacency, and acceptance of the familiar. But it also invites us to consider the possibilities that lie beyond our routine and ‘boldly go’ where we may have never gone before.
If we take a moment to stop, as one would at a trailhead, and look at all the options for moving in a different direction, even in small ways—what could be different?
And even more potent, what if we allowed our creative wisdom to take the helm and point us in a new direction? Put the trail maps aside and go inside to see what the greatest directional compass of all would have us do—relying on our own inner knowing to point us in a new and exciting direction.
This week, play with the concept of wisdom being your headlamp and lighting the way down those yet unexplored tributary paths. Allow your inner compass to be all the resource you need for exploring strange new (and enlightening) worlds.