Enjoy the Journey

Enjoy the Journey!

You’ve no doubt heard it many times, but having goals and aspirations is essential to the forward progression of life.  It’s true, because, without knowing where we’re headed, how would we ever know once we’ve arrived?  Or worse yet, how the heck would we even know the path it takes to get there?  Well, today’s blog is not so much about the destination as it is the journey.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard things like, “I hate this job” or “college sucks” from some of the very same people who later attest to how much that job or class meant, in retrospect, in building or shaping the outcome of their present, and most often, improved situation.  Ask most young military recruits who are caught up in the middle of initial basic training and they too will tell you just how "terrible" their situation is.  But ask them to look upon their training after they’ve successfully graduated and they’ll have story after story on how the experience left an indelible change on their lives, and oftentimes, literally transformed them into mature adulthood. 

All too often, we get so caught up in anticipating what’s next that we lose sight of what’s now.  If you think about it, the very things going on around us right now is the result of the actions we put in place to bring us to this moment.  Ignoring it is not only tragic; it robs us of the subtleties that are designed to keep us moving forward in a meaningful way.  In other words, don’t forget to stop and enjoy the journey! 

This blog is a reminder to enjoy the journey, or the now.  There’s so much happening in the journey that we can experience and truly savor.  Our experiences and reactions to the journey literally shape who we are as individuals.  If you have children, you have more than your share of examples right in front of you that serve to drive the point home to its core.  Our children change every single day.  Yet, it’s so easy to get used to the subtle changes taking place right before our very eyes that makes it all too easy to look past…until they do something so funny or spectacular that it gives us pause and reminds us just how perishable the journey is…just how delicate and important the moment is.

If you don’t have children, try something else that’ll serve as a reminder.  Sit and watch a sunset one evening.  As you watch the beauty of the changing colors cast upon the horizon as the sun sets, take note of the amount of time passing before your very eyes.  Here’s a wake-up call – it’s the last sunset you’ll ever see…today!  Tomorrow’s sunset isn’t a guarantee.  If you’re able to grasp that concept, the sun will seem to set so much faster than it normally would if you were to simply allow it to happen without savoring the experience. 

There are so many other things that can serve as a reminder to enjoy the journey.  Don't allow these important things to escape you without an attempt to enjoy them for everything they offer.  Look around on your drive to work instead of thinking about what's on the agenda once you get there.  The agenda and all the expectations of work will be there when you arrive.  Why waste your journey on thoughts that won't change a thing anyway?

Another important part of the journey is to pay attention to what it’s telling you about the direction of your life.  It’s in the journey where we make conscious adjustments to our future.  We base those decisions on the experiences provided to us inside the journey.  If we experience joy and satisfaction, we tend to view that positively and seek to perpetuate more by repeating the decisions it took to bring us to this point.  Conversely, if we tend not to really care too much for our circumstances, we choose to change them so we can enjoy a different journey in the future.  Every journey, however, good or not-so-good, provides insight we can use to make these adjustments.  So, my humble advice is to experience the journey for everything it provides. 

Our journey brings us to places and circumstances for a reason.  The reasons are as wide and varied as each of us are unique.  Suffice it to say, however, that each of our journeys are designed to shape us to become wiser, more aware individuals with the potential to make decisions that continually change the path of our journey.  The direction that journey takes is ultimately up to you alone to control.  I only hope you stop occasionally to enjoy the scenery that surrounds you along the way!

Until next time!

- G -

"Don't get so caught up in what tomorrow will bring that you fail to experience the joys of today."  - G. Westfal - 

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