The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Lao Tzu
Life has been likened to a book; you open the chapters one after another. Some also describe life as a journey with a starting point and destination. I prefer the journey analogy.
Many detours will occur along life’s journey. How you manage those detours will determine how long it will take to reach your final destination or expectation, and if you will reach there at all.
Irrespective of the starting point, everyone is expected to take life’s journey and there’s not an indication to exactly how the journey will unfold or end.
No destination is final. We are always in between places in our journey. Have you ever taken a road trip before? I remember the first time I drove to Scotland from London. It was a long, tiring 8-hour drive. The more I advanced on in the journey, the closer I felt to my destination because the satellite navigation system indicated so. But in reality, it was still far; it was close, yet far away!
Doing all that is required with no tangible result can be discouraging. I discovered that the secret to overcoming such feelings of frustration is this: keep going, keep moving! That’s how you can get to where you intend to go. While moving, think about how far you have covered, not how far you still need to cover. The more you move, the closer you get. Today is a day closer to your dreams than ever before. It would be a shame to stall or turn back now.
You may not want to know this but sometimes, the destination could turn out to be rather disappointing (not that I found Scotland to be disappointing!). Many times, what we think should make us permanently happy gives us only temporary happiness. Think about this, if you are currently looking to quit your job for a better one, what happened? Why do you now need a new job? The day you got that job you were elated and thought you finally had a chance to be what you wanted to be. Today the excitement has fizzled out and you are looking for the next “happy project.”
This goes to show that life is not about a destination, but the moments along the journey. Whatever you achieve, there will always be a better feat waiting for you to start on. Stop thinking only of the destination; otherwise you will miss precious moments and life lessons that are important for your sustenance.
