The quest for the self begins. What road do you take? Right or left? Where will each lead? Look down the roads, see how they look generally. You can see into the immediate future of each path you could take. The end of the path is out of sight, and you long to know what lies there. In the time you spent looking, you have discovered that your feet have already begun to move, regardless of your desire to stop and look. The fork in the road is coming quickly – which way? WHICH WAY?

Thus, another moment of life passes by. Another choice made. What results will it bring? Did we really see all possible directions in which we could travel? Yet again, we cannot see to the end of any path. We can only anticipate the results of similar choices based upon what previous choice have brought to us. Many will argue that the future can be seen, and predicted. I feel that completely predicting the future eliminates all chances of changing it. Instead, I offer that the future is seen for the likely outcome of the events already in motion. The future is then changed by taking correct, balanced action in the present.

The past is equally difficult to discern. Our own judgments and beliefs alter our recollection, but they still form the basis of our present personality. When analyzing oneself, it is inevitable that one will have to separate vital, at times traumatic, memories out and view them objectively. “Stepping outside oneself” is a commonly heard phrase for this practice, in which you see the memory as an outside observer. This allows for the required objective mindset that will allow you to reassess what you believe about your life and about yourself in general. The process must be repeated constantly throughout life, as new memories are created. The constant evaluation will allow not only for a more balanced viewpoint of one’s life, but will serve to better prepare us for future similar events. This is what is necessary for enhanced understanding of one's life - a step towards taking control of one's path.