# Define your action path > As J.J. Gibson’s psychological school at Cornell University maintained, the world affords nesting and sheltering, nourishing and quenching, adventuring and playing. The world is made less of nouns than of verbs. It doesn’t consist merely in objects and things; it is filled with useful, playful, and intriguing opportunities. The oriole doesn’t see a branch, but an occasion for perching; the cat doesn’t see a thing we call an empty box, it sees safe hiding for peering. The bear doesn’t smell honeycomb, but the opportunity for delicious feeding. The world is buzzing and blooming with information, which is always available and never absent. > > from _The Soul’s Code_ by James Hillman Welcome to the path of Action! This is a wild and squirrelly path, full of tensions and drama. And delight! You will meet many friends and foes here, not the least of which is your very best friend (who sometimes disguises themselves as a foe)—yourself. The first thing to know about any path in life is that it has a tendency to be ephemeral. It can look as if there's nothing there most of the time. We need to give our paths a little more definition, so that we can at least imagine the path when it's not completely clear to us. But definition is also a dangerous thing. It's best to be loose about it, because ultimately, we are less in control of our life's path than we think. We can influence our path with our actions, and we can keep our eyes on where we want to go, but we cannot ultimately control the outcomes of our efforts. So while we want to create a clear definition of the path we want to be on, let's not get too attached—when we're discovering the path and building at the same time, flexibility is helpful. There are three main questions to ask ourselves when we're defining our path: * **The destination: What do you want?** Imagine what you want as a place you are going, with its own circumstances and environment. What is happening? What does it look like, feel like, sound like? What is different there than the place you are now? * **The big picture: Why do you want what you want?** When you zoom out, you may find that what you really want are the feelings you hope this destination will give you; for example, safety, love, rest, confidence, or freedom. What ways can you move toward your destination that could give you some of these qualities now? * **The route: What are the practical steps?** What comes first, second, third, until you reach your destination? It's okay if you only vaguely understand some of the steps required. Try to get as clear as possible on the first step, even if that step is "learn how to get where I want to go." Spend a little while thinking through each of these questions. You might want to write down your responses. [I've defined my path](201-Action/2a%20Map%20out%20your%20route.md) | [I need help](I%20need%20help.md)