Perhaps you remember that fragment of a phrase from Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken.” The phrase that has always stuck with me is “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” and the poem, of course, goes on to describe the decision that has to be made, a decision that is to take the one “less traveled by” noting that has “made all the difference.”

I’ve often thought that if we understood that our decisions in life were like those two divergent paths, clearly leading in different directions, our choices might be different or might be clearer. Too often we face a decision—maybe it is about our career or our personal lives, maybe it’s about taking on something new, changing paths—and we don’t stop and consider the options.

I have done this myself so many times. A door opens and I walk through it. I never consider whether it is the only door, let alone the right door. I just make the accurate or inaccurate assumption that because the door is there and because it is open, that is what I am going to do. The consideration of the options, or even the recognition of the existence of options, is minimal at best.

I’m not suggesting that there is anything “wrong” with that approach. It is reflective of my “ready fire aim” personality, my readiness for the next challenge, my passion for change. But what I am pondering, and what I am suggesting, is the value of looking for the other doors that exist, the other paths that diverge in the woods and making a choice that is both purposeful and considered.

We so often follow the path that others believe we should take, the direction that they urge us to follow. But what if, for one moment, we gave ourselves the time and space—and grace—to consider what we really want. What if we looked for that other path in the woods and made a decision understanding that we had options? What if we based our direction on what resonated with us, what made us happy, what offered us a greater opportunity to feel whole and to fill our full hearts?