Lessons from My Professorial Journey – The Path to Your Dream May Not Be a Straight Line.

“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” These were the words of Barbara Hall. To Kyan Douglas, “We all have our paths in life we are supposed to follow to find who we are supposed to be, but it’s not always a straight path. There is something inside of us that guides us, and if you are quiet and listen to it, you’ll be all right.” Let’s reflect on the journey of your dream as a journey that can take you through strange paths.

Do you know that unlike what you wish, pursuing your dream may take you through uneven and strange paths? In basic engineering, I was taught that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Ordinarily, I would have preferred that path to my professorial destination. However, life ushered me through a longer route. First, after my secondary school education, I had to work in a nursery/primary school as a teacher. Thereafter, while my preference would have been university education, life diverted me for two years to a national diploma programme. Again, against my preference,  the next destination was another two years on vocational training. The diversion later rewarded me with employment that provided the resources to support my further studies. Also, despite the diversions, I sustained the commitment to put in my best wherever I found myself. The result was that each diversion opened new doors to keep my dream and journey on.

So, enhance your capacity to persevere until you get to your destination even when life takes you through strange paths. While praying to get back on your desired path, reject the temptation to let any diversion blind your eyes from your goal. However, be conscious of the reality of life as Amanda Linehan shared: “The reality is that sometimes you have to backtrack (this is always a little frustrating)… At other times you walk around in circles longer than you care to admit (and probably don’t even know it at the time!). And still, at other times you feel stuck so you sit down right where you are and don’t move for a bit.” In every situation, sustain your commitment and you would be amazed that the diversion was another route to your dream. Listen further to Linehan: “Even though you could say that life always moves forward, forward doesn’t always mean straight ahead. Forward can mean backtracking. Forward can mean getting sidetracked. Forward can mean circling around. Forward can mean sitting still for a little while. As frustrating as it feels to not be moving in the straight line you think you should be, these ‘diversions’ are usually necessary.”

As you step out, Jeff Ocaya reminded you: “The path to success is not a straight line, but a journey through waves and tides. It’s up to us to steer the course.” Sometimes, your case may be similar to what Douglas Adams described: “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”

• Esitikot is a professor of occupational health and safety, a COREN-registered chemical engineer, a public affairs analyst, marriage counsellor, youth mentor, reviewer for some international research journals and volunteer lecturer at the Institute of Health, Safety, Security and Environment, University of Uyo.

He works for an international oil company and can be contacted via 08035103559 (Whatsapp only).