The Path Made Clear summary

Tough situations and moments of tragedy will inevitably punctuate the journey of our lives. These can feel like startling speed bumps on our own private road. Losing our job, falling into debt or separating from a partner can shock us and cause real emotional trauma.

But while these personal struggles may feel sudden, the truth is that they seldom arrive without warning signals – just like road signs that tell us of upcoming speed bumps. In fact, life is constantly speaking to us, offering subtle clues about which path to take. We can call these whispers.

It’s said that nothing good in life ever comes easy. Whether it’s pursuing success in our careers or building a solid relationship, the effort involved in meeting our goals can be daunting. It can be so daunting that it manifests in fear – sometimes causing us to wallow in inaction.

But inaction is the wrong reaction to fear. In fact, fear is a natural part of any important undertaking, and the level of fear is relative to how significant that undertaking is for your development. This is what the author Steven Pressfield told Oprah during a conversation in 2013. Steven explained that with every dream comes a shadow of resistance – they are inseparable, like yin and yang. What’s more, the bigger the dream, the more resistance we’ll feel as we pursue it.

Many people speak of being “in the zone.” This could refer to a productive spell in our workday, for instance, and it’s common for artists or long-distance runners to experience this when creating or competing. But what does it actually mean?

We can view being in the zone as a form of flow – a period of ultra-focus when the concept of time falls away, and we are wholly devoted to our task. And finding our flow is crucial to success on our chosen path. Of course, finding your flow only comes after you know which direction you are taking with your life; you must always know your life’s path before you can find flow. But once you do, the positive energy generated from knowing your path will provide momentum – focus comes easily when pursuing your dreams.

The world we live in privileges the individual. Advertisements on TV attempt to speak to us alone; our economy rewards those who create their own wealth; and, all too often, we vote for a political leader’s personality rather than their party’s policies. Our notions of community and kinship are breaking down as we continue to move into megacities, becoming anonymous faces in the sea of humanity.

But there’s another way of being, and it involves using our time on Earth to help others.

We closed the last blink by touching on the idea that material wealth pales in comparison to the emotional wealth you can create by serving other people. This blink will explore the nature of success, how it functions and why we need to redefine our concept of the term. The first thing we need to realize is that success comes in cycles.

When the author Sarah Ban Breathnach published Simple Abundance in 1996, she had no idea that it would sell seven million copies and catapult her to the top of the best-seller charts. Speaking of her success to Oprah in 2013, Breathnach admitted to experiencing a curious moment of angst when her book dropped out of the best-seller list.