"If you keep taking steps, you are going to go somewhere."
That quote came to me a year or two ago and has been on my Instagram profile for quite a while now. I need to change my info on there and wanted to commemorate this phrase I think so fondly of.
It's a very basic thought - to get somewhere, you must indeed take the motion to get there. But in my head, that wild crazy thing, the words took on a new life when they first struck me. You keep putting one foot in front of the other. We all do whether we like it or not. Sometimes they are big strides and sometimes small. They can go fast or slow or even make you fall. The point is that we keep taking them.
Arriving somewhere is the natural, inevitable progression of this step taking. We are all going to go somewhere. The unverbalized addendum to this simple phrase is: We must decide where our steps are taking us.
If we are going to take steps (and by living each day we are taking some sort of step) and the result is a guaranteed arrival, we have to choose each moment which direction we are heading. Where do you and I want to end up? Where. Not how or when or even with who. Where. Where exactly are we going.
It's been a struggle my entire life picking where I want to go. Or even realizing sometimes that I in fact needed to pick my destination. Envisioning my future life, no matter how far out, has always been a daunting challenge for me. ("What do you want to be when you grow up?" ...no thank you.) I'm sure this is why the words stuck to me with such an impression.
A little over a year ago, my path changed. It's changed several times in my life, but this was the first at this age-range in my life at this quality. For the first time in my working life, I found myself whittled down to one single career path - that being film. Granted, I hold several hats within this world, but it was one straight focus.
It has quite honestly been a challenging year. Rewarding as well, but challenging. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Except continued success and profitably through it. Biggest goals for this upcoming year are producing our own feature (Shutter Blade Media) and booking a few union roles with my acting.
I have another creative endeavor I've been stewing on as well. But for now, fingers crossed and footsteps pointed at where I want to go. Can't wait to see the trail along the way.
Photo © emilyreneegold. Taken at Carolina Beach State Park - 07 June, 2022