There is a Japanese proverb:
If you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station. The longer you wait, the more expensive the return trip becomes.
Isn’t that simple and profound? If you know you’re headed in the wrong direction, just get off. But in reality, it’s rarely that easy.
This idea has been lingering in my mind for quite some time. I had dropped the plan to write about it, but today, I finally gathered the courage to put it into words.
How do you even know you’re on the wrong train?
Sometimes it’s a wrong relationship. Sometimes it’s a toxic habit or a behavioural pattern. Sometimes it’s a career path that doesn’t align with who you truly are. The truth is — unless things get really bad, we often don’t realize we’re headed in the wrong direction.
And unlike in video games, life doesn’t come with a rewind button or a checkpoint to start over from. By the time we realize the misalignment, we often panic. We either stay stuck out of fear or jump onto the next available “train” — without knowing where it’s going. And sometimes, that takes us even further away from where we were truly meant to be.
But maybe the point isn’t just to avoid getting on the wrong train — maybe it’s about acceptance. Accepting that things have gone off track. That maybe you’ve messed up, or taken a path that wasn’t right for you. And that’s okay. What matters is having the courage to step off as soon as you realize it.
Maybe that’s the real journey
Just random thoughts by someone who is still exploring life.
Comments are closed.