Life is a journey. An unknown adventure. An unopened book. Many wise people over the years have told us that it’s all about the journey, not the destination. We all embark upon our life’s journey as helpless, innocent beings. Strangers in a strange land. Did you ever notice how a baby often has an expression of complete bewilderment? WTF moments? Each one of us is given instructions about what to do and what to expect. To make things more interesting, we all get different instructions. We are told about our talents and our chances to succeed. Or not. And then the journey begins. One step at a time. One experience at a time. One moment at a time. And then the journey of life comes to an end. The destination.
Greg Anderson, author of The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness, says, “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” If we don’t enjoy the steps along the way to our goal, we will not reach it. No matter what, we all only do what we truly want to do. If we don’t want to do it, there are many reasons we have to justify our failure to follow through. Procrastination. We make time for what matters. And we always make time for what feels good.
When you set a goal, you are setting a destination. It’s important to consider each of the steps on the journey which are necessary to achieve the goal. Sometimes the journey can teach you a lot about your destination. When you use your imagination to explore the future, you are able to see the steps which will trip you up…the ones you don’t want to do. Each step is a destination and a journey in itself. Consider a step which makes you feel fearful or incompetent or overwhelmed. Perhaps you’ve set a limit for yourself. Perhaps you believe your goal is too big or too difficult. Remember it’s all about what you tell yourself. If you tell yourself you will succeed, you will. Imagine having fun every step of the way. Imagine the joyful journey to add fuel to your fire.
Earl Nightingale tells us, “We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.”
Each one of us makes choices every day about how we will live our journey. There are many ways we can make that journey more joyful. Think about little things you can do every day to make a difference in how you perceive and experience your life. You deserve it. You owe it to yourself. And no one else is doing it for you! When I leave my home to make my way to my office, I have a choice about the road I travel to reach my destination. When I turn left at the light I commit to joining the rush of traffic on the 101 freeway where I enter a fast paced group of four lanes of cars. Frontage road businesses and sound walls become a blur outside my window. I am focused in flight-fight mode as I drive defensively at speeds of 60-65 mph over the next ten miles before my exit. When I arrive, I take a moment to settle myself and transition into a calm state of being.
But if I make a choice to turn right at the light, I embark on a different journey. Just moments from home, at a leisurely pace of 40 mph, I travel by the wide open spaces of national park land and Boney Mountain ridge. This route is a little longer. Maybe three miles and six or seven minutes. But it is worth my time. I’m able to enjoy the view of this magnificent display of nature and feel a sense of connection to it. I travel through a winding road past pastures where horses graze and hawks fly. Sometimes in the early morning, I encounter thick fog that blankets the valley with a quiet softness. I’m surrounded by tranquil beauty. I drive with my sunroof open to listen to the silence over this journey. When I arrive at my destination, I am in a state of peace.
A simple choice. Turn left. Or turn right. Forget about the destination. Think about the joy of the journey. Take time to enjoy each step of this amazing journey called life. And regarding that final destination, consider this thought from Enoch Powell. “If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.”