Which way I ought to go from here?

Alice is taught a great lesson from the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. I'm not sure if Alice really comprehends the lesson. The question is, how many people read this passage and simply smile and think of it as funny, but totally miss the gravity of what the Cheshire Cat teaches.

 “Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.

Alice: I don't much care where.

The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.

Alice: ...So long as I get somewhere.

The Cheshire Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland 

In the Disney cartoon of Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat seems to be a little facetious and just trying to cause problems for Alice. But, what if he's just trying to help Alice discover what it is she wants?

How many of us do this and we don't even realize it. We know we need to improve ourselves, get better. We long for more, to do more, become more. But we look to others for direction. We ask others what we should do, or what our goals should be. We're essentially asking others "Which way I ought to go from here?"

This is where mentors and coaches put the question back to us: Where do we want to go? 

Where do we see ourselves? 

What do we want?

Rephrasing the question: What end result do you want? And this can be for a situation, for a career, in five or ten years, or at the end of life, when you're rocking in your chair thinking back on what you did, or didn't, accomplish.

If we don't care enough about what the end result should be, then it doesn't matter which directions we go. And if we're like Alice and just want to get somewhere, then we're sure to get somewhere if we walk through life long enough.

Where is it that you want to be? Your desired end should become your focus, the guiding light for making decisions and taking action.

If your end doesn't excite you, even a little, if it doesn't draw you towards it, if you can't build a fire of emotional desire from that end spark, maybe you're looking at the wrong end. Your heart needs to be in it.

There are some people who have not allowed themselves to dream so it may take awhile for them to really grow the desire that will build results. For those who aren't sure, you can certainly start towards what you believe you want. What can happen is as you make decisions and act in faith your end will likely change (maybe a little or possibly a lot) as you discover what it is you really want. Then you can shift that end focus to what will propel you forward.

But if you don't decide on an end, you will walk through life and end up somewhere, and wish you'd ended elsewhere.


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