The Importance of Celebrating The Journey And Not The Destination
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You just accomplished something extraordinary—something not a lot of people can or are willing to do. A brief smile and rush of delight overtake you, but nothing more. Instead of gathering the friends and popping the champagne, your mind is already on to the next goal, the next accomplishment, the next “big thing.”
Does this sound like you?
When we focus on the next destination, we discount or disregard everything we have achieved prior to starting a particular goal.
When we do this, we are limiting the satisfaction and fulfillment we gain in life to just these small individual goals, rather than the entire journey or totality of our life.
Life is about the journey, not the destination. So, see if you can pause and honor your progress. Take stock of how far you have come and who you have become.
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So many of us are driven and motivated to be successful in whatever we do and to reach a destination that we have set out for ourselves.
It can be in our careers, relationships, financial status, level of spirituality—you name it. But there is almost always a desire to be there, rather than to be here.
This is a perfectly natural feeling.
Like almost any other Being in the Universe, we humans love to grow. In fact, it’s often the growing itself, and not the end state, that we crave the most deep down.
Ironically, it’s the progress toward our goals that brings us the most satisfaction in life. And yet, we still have our sights on when we are going to arrive at our destination, forgetting the actual journey toward getting there.
This emphasis on the destination rather than the journey results in us NOT appreciating the milestones we hit, because there will always be another milestone or destination.
In fact, there are infinite destinations in life—we can go anywhere, anytime. But there is only ONE journey in life.
That’s because life IS the journey.
When we focus on the next destination, we discount or disregard everything we have achieved prior to starting a particular goal.
For example, if you’re transitioning into a new career, how much are you celebrating or are grateful for your old career and what it’s taught you? How about the years of schooling and training before that, which set the foundation for what you are about to achieve now?
These chapters are all part of one big book—the book of YOUR life. And yet, we like to divide them into smaller books and call them “this career,” “that relationship,” or “this version of me.”
When we do this, we are limiting the satisfaction and fulfillment we gain in life to just these small individual goals, rather than the entire journey or totality of our life.
It looks something like this:
In this way, we can actually live our entire lives setting and achieving goals, and still feel incomplete.
That is because your fulfillment in life is not achieved by tackling a long and endless list of goals, but rather by how you live during the entire journey.
By taking the time to celebrate your milestones and achievements, you are honoring the entire journey. You recognize that you scaled a difficult summit, but ultimately appreciate the fact that there will always be higher summits to climb and scale.
But that doesn’t worry you, because you know that true and lasting fulfillment comes with the journey and not the destination.
In fact, the more eager we are to get to the next chapter, the more we forget the chapter we are currently on, such that we read the entire book of our lives and yet not remember or appreciate a single thing.
Instead of focusing on your next big goal, see if you can pause and honor your progress. Take stock of how far you have come and who you have become.
If helpful, write in a journal all the things you have learned from one point in your journey to another. What were the moments that excited you the most? What were the challenges you were thrilled to overcome, and how have they changed you?
By doing so, you’ll appreciate more of the journey than the destination—and by extension, feel fulfilled wherever you go.
Life Purpose Coach
My name is Najim and I am a life purpose coach, writer, and speaker helping young professionals live a more fulfilling life by discovering and pursuing their purpose. After nearly a decade in the corporate world, serving in various management and leadership roles, I experienced firsthand the emotional pain of feeling burnt out, unfulfilled, and out of alignment with my true self and potential.
Today, I coach young professionals from all career paths and walks of life to become more self-aware, trust their intuition, and get out of their comfort zone so that they can transition out of their unfulfilled state and into the life or career they always wanted! If this sounds like you and you want to find real and lasting fulfillment in your life, please feel free to reach out and let’s have a chat!
Facebook | 1:1 Coaching | Instagram
This article was originally shared on Najim Mostamand’s personal website.
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