Having just watched a couple of videos by Sue Stockdale (she skied to the magnetic North Pole), I was able to draw a number of conclusions that make sense to me and where I am with my life.
Sue talks about having the goal defined, i.e. the magnetic North Pole. However, the reality is that at this point, or destination, there is nothing there, no pole, no ‘finish line’ nothing or no thing. How true is that for us and our goals and destinations? Yes, there might be a celebration, but in most cases, once that has been completed we move on to our next goal or destination. A bit like a roadshow, moving from city to city.
Yet people often talk about the joy of being on the journey, i.e. ‘Smell the flowers’. Be present or, ‘in the moment’ as much of the time as you can be. They say the past causes depression, the future anxiety and so on.
The downside of just being on the journey is that you may never get anywhere, a great time but what was achieved. Some may even argue, so what, I am enjoying the journey.
A goal is to provide you with a direction and a focus, with a recognition that nothing will be there when you get there, be determined without being attached to it, i.e. that over time you may choose to change it. Having this in mind will get you up in the morning and will (at a quantum level) attract those ‘things’ that you need in order to get you to your destination. Once you have this in place, you can relax and focus on experiencing and enjoying your journey. It also enables you to remain open to all the possibilities.
One could say that the destination is at the subconscious level (chugging along in the background) and the journey is at the conscious level (you are making conscious choices to notice and appreciate what you are sensing, i.e. sights, sounds, tastes, feelings, emotions, etc.).
Maybe an answer lies in us having them both?
Great post Colin. I would just add that at sixteen I packed a backpack jump into a boxcar and rode the trains all over the south for a whole summer work in tobacco, cotton and orange groves. What did I achieve, a greater understanding of people. that people are truly kind, I found confidence, courage, and the value of giving back. That being said I did have to set goals, benchmarks and met certain metrics when I entered the business world. I used what I learned on my journey to develop people and make them successful and we all all found success from that. I thing you need both in life or at lest I did. Again Thank you for you wise insights
Thank you Larry. Love that you received ‘life lessons’ at an early age. These are vitally important, I feel. I also like that you recognised that to be successful yourself, you needed to get the best out of those that work for you, are in your care, and for them to be successful first. We are here to serve.
I believe that if we are always in the doing space (goals, etc.), we neglect the being space, (people, caring, listening, etc.). Likewise sticking to the being space, whilst being ‘nice’ does not get anything done. Marrying the two and understanding being first, before the doing, has a profound and positive impact on those who are recipients of our doing.
Colin