We’re all on one path or another. Sometimes it’s the path of least resistance. Sometimes it’s the yellow brick road. Sometimes, to slightly misquote Robert Frost, it’s the path least traveled.

For me the point is, to choose. Which is what mindfulness is all about. Stop, take a breath, observe what’s happening, and then choose the path. And crucially, ask before choosing, “Where will this lead?”

Will it lead to connection and kindness, even if it must also lead to the win? Or will it lead to pain and sorrow? If I go left versus right or right versus left, am I bringing love into the mix, or hate? Generosity, or greed? Clarity, or confusion? As Pema Chodron invites us to ask, am I practicing peace or am I going to war?