Enjoy the Journey

I believe in celebrating life.

Throughout our lives, we are always using our drive and ambition to work towards various goals. Whether these goals are large or small, they often take up a great deal of our “mind space.” Lately I have noticed various friends and family members working hard towards their goals and not allowing themselves to feel self-satisfaction or true happiness until the goals are met. Yes, it is great to be driven and ambitious to meet goals, but not to the point that you do not allow yourself to feel enjoyment/true happiness the entire time that you are working towards the goals.

In the past, I spent a number of years rediculously rushing through stages of life that should have been fun, and essentially carefree, when compared to “adult life.” In high school, I was always in a rush to go to college. In college, I was always in rush to graduate and start working full time. Due to my rigidness and not being truly happy with who I was, I did not allow myself to enjoy the experiences of those timeframes the way I could have and I always looked to the future to be better than where I was. Now, I am living by going with the flow of life. I know that as long as I am doing my part to work hard and to pray and meditate to make sure I am working towards the right path, I will be successful.

Instead of wallowing in the dreadful feelings of not being at your goal, celebrate the steps you are taking towards achieving your goals. Every step to reach your goal is an achievement already and should be recognized. Wallowing in self-doubt, fear, and regret, only make your journey miserable and make you “reduce your present to a means of getting ‘there’,” as Eckhart Tolle states in his book “The Power of Now.” He also states that if you do not learn to find true happiness within yourself, you will always be on a perpetual search for happiness. So contrary to popular belief, happiness originates within ourselves and we decide if we will feel happy or not. Yes, outside factors can influence pleasure, which many mistake for true happiness, but these factors are not permanent like a calm, internal state of happiness.

To sum it all up: Don’t forget to enjoy the journey on the way to your destination. The time spent traveling to your destination is time that you can never get back. Be in the moment. Celebrate your achievements on the way to your destination. Trust that God will not lead you astray.

Peace, love, and blessings…