We’ve all heard the saying before: Life’s about the journey, not the destination.
I, for one, believe this to be absolute truth. But like most people in the world, I too can get caught up in being so focused on a goal that I forget to pay attention to, and enjoy, the journey in getting there. I can discard the triumphs and push through the challenges to get them over with as quickly as possible without giving them the recognition that they deserve.
And by enjoying the journey, I don’t just mean focusing on the fun bits. It means enjoying the whole ride – the ups and the downs.
But, how do you enjoy the downs? Well, some downs may not be much fun at the time. But when you look at them in the grand scheme of life, or the overall journey of reaching a particular goal, then it’s about appreciating the downs for the very fact that they provide the richness and contrast to the ups.
If everything was great all the time, well…, would it feel great? Wouldn’t it just become the new ‘blah’, the new ‘whatever’, the new ‘ho-hum’?
The richness of your journey, whatever your journey happens to be, contains challenges, tragedies and triumphs. Without the challenges and tragedies there would be no triumphs. There would be no hurdles to overcome. There would be no learning, no growth and no expansion.
It’s the challenges that develop resilience muscles. And it’s the resilience and ability to persevere through those challenges that make reaching the goal worthwhile.
A rich life contains both good times and bad times. Happy and sad times. It’s not simply about getting to the end. It’s about enjoying and fully living all of those good, bad, happy and sad times. It’s about what we learn and who we become.
And it’s about appreciating the whole ride – the ups and the downs.
