I was having dinner with a friend last night and we were talking about where I might be headed career wise. Next week the announcement of my departure from my current role will come out, along with starting a slightly pared down schedule in September.

She was telling me how happy she was for me that I chose to take the time to step back and figure out what I wanted to do. We started talking about what it is that I’d like to do next and the fact that I still don’t really know what that will be. I told her that I was very clear about what I don’t want, but not that lucid on what I do want. While it’s a start, it’s not much.

Then she said something that has been resonating with me ever since. She said that if we keep looking towards what we don’t want, that’s exactly where we’ll keep heading. She rides a motorcycle and when she was starting out and taking lessons, this is what they taught her about riding. If you look in the direction of the electrical pole, then you’ll likely end up crashing into it. Instead you should be looking towards the direction you want to go in.

It seems like a simple concept, but it’s one that is hard to practice in life. Since I’m not completely sure of where I want to head career wise (I know, you’re probably getting sick of this constant indecisive search of mine), the first step is to stop looking back towards what I know is not for me. It keeps the other areas wide open for exploration.