Your Journey or Your Destination?
Posted by Pat on August 17, 2012 in Uncategorized | ∞
Back in 1979 a questionnaire in Success Magazine was
sent to 1134 adults asking the simple question: “Is success a destination or a journey?” The result was 926 said it was a destination!
sent to 1134 adults asking the simple question: “Is success a destination or a journey?” The result was 926 said it was a destination!
But success is not just a destination. It is a journey.
When my sister and I took a trip to France last year, our enjoyment did not come only after we got there! Our joy came the moment we decided to take the trip.
When we got the travel agency’s descriptive brochures, we were in happy anticipation of the journey.
When we scoured the web for the perfect place to stay in Paris, we were excited.
When we were choosing which sites to see, it was a vicarious experience in advance of the real one.
When we were packing (and repacking!) our bags it gave us a thrill because as we carefully chose what to take, we visualized ourselves wearing those particular outfits and the places we were going to be wearing them!
And our enjoyment continued through the planning and dreaming into the actual arriving and experiencing.
And journaling through email to our friends was fun as we distilled our adventures into bite-sized descriptions.
The return too was packed with pleasure, planning the gifts we were going to share with family and friends.
And after we got home we found that the memories, the photographs, the conversations, our increased knowledge of the places we visited all were tangible dividends of our satisfaction and enjoyment.
So…what does this mean to you? It means that you don’t have to reach the pinnacle of success before you begin enjoying it. You can gain happiness after taking the first step towards success. Maybe it’s making a mind map on how you want to achieve something. Maybe it’s doing some online research about the do’s and don’ts from those who have done what you want to do. We all are a success when we
- decide what we want,
- plan out the steps to get there,
- identify the possible obstacles, and
- take action (however small the first step!)
We don’t have to wait until we have money in the bank or our bills all paid before we are a success. We can choose our definition of success, of happiness, of enjoyment and thus experience it as we go along through the adventure of our lives.
So what will you choose? What’s on the horizon for you? And will you choose to make the journey or the destination the focus of your happiness?