As I decided to start the Clinical Mental Health Graduate program that I am enrolled in now, I always wondered, “Is this the right path for me?” It wasn’t until I started applying and enrolling that I received any confirmation; before starting, I had to rely on my own thoughts and feelings. There was one particular event that I experienced that served as confirmation. If you’re spiritual, this may resonate with you, and even if you’re not, I still believe that there is something to be learned from this story.
This interaction was at a cemetery. I was visiting my uncle’s gravesite the month after he passed away. I was placing flowers by his tombstone when an older lady approached me and asked me who I was visiting. I told her about my uncle and how he had recently passed. She shared her story, as well. During the conversation, she brought up her granddaughter who attended the same undergraduate school as me, went to school for counseling post-grad, and started her own counseling practice. These were my goals, and I had never shared them with this lady. In shock, I quickly expressed how that was the path I was choosing, and she told me how proud she was of me and how I had made the right decision. To this very day, I believe my uncle was speaking to me through that sweet old lady.
Sometimes, the message may not always come to you in the way that you choose. It may come through a stranger; it may come through a dream. What’s most important is that you trust yourself. What I learned from the interaction was that you can be confident that you are on the right path when you follow your heart and trust yourself. I know that validation is wanted when decisions seem uncertain but trusting yourself is the only validation you need. You set the pace, and you set the path. Once you let go and start, you’ll start receiving all the confirmation you need when you least expect it.
