18/08/2026
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A young man once asked a Zen teacher, “How do I know if I’m making the right choice?” The teacher took him outside. There were two paths through the village.
One was wide and busy. The other was narrow and almost hidden by grass. “Which one should I take?” the young man asked. The teacher shrugged. “Which one do you want to take?” “The wide one seems safer.” “Then take it.”
The young man looked at him. “You’re not going to tell me which one is better?” “No.” “Why?” “Because if I tell you, you may spend the rest of your life wondering whether you chose for yourself.”
The young man was quiet for a moment, then stepped onto the narrow path. A few minutes later, he stopped and looked back. “Master, what if this is the wrong road?” The teacher smiled. “Then turn around.” The young man laughed. “That’s all?” “That’s all.”
Moral of the story? We spend much of our lives looking for certainty. We want someone to tell us we are making the right choice before we begin.
We want to know the business will succeed before we start it, the career will work out before we change it, and the relationship will last before we commit. But life rarely gives us certainty. It gives us a choice and asks us to decide.
From childhood, many of us are taught what the “right” road looks like: go to school, get a good job, build a career, get married, buy a home, have children, be successful.
There is nothing wrong with any of these things. The problem begins when we follow them simply because everyone else does. At some point, we have to ask ourselves: Is this the life I chose, or the life I was taught to want?
The goal is not to choose a road because nobody else is on it. The goal is to choose the road that is right for you. And sometimes you will get it wrong.
We often treat our decisions as permanent. We are afraid to change our minds because we think it makes us look weak. We are afraid to start again because we think people will call us failures. But there is nothing courageous about staying on the wrong road simply because you are afraid to admit you took it. Listen to advice.
Learn from experience. Consider the consequences. But remember that you are the one who has to live with the decision. Your parents can advise you. Your friends can guide you. Your mentors can challenge you. But they cannot live your life for you. Eventually, you have to choose.
You may not know where the road leads or have everyone's approval. You may even make mistakes. Walk anyway. And if you discover that you chose the wrong road, turn around. There is no shame in changing your mind or beginning again.
Choose the one you believe in. Walk it. And if you discover it was the wrong one, turn around. Just make sure that when you look back at your life, you can say: I chose my own road.
Namaste🙏🙏
Kiprono
