Life Is a Journey, So Better Enjoy The Road

Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome.

Arthur Ashe

Last week Lisa came home all excited. She announced that she wanted to represent her class in the Student Advisory Leadership Team. Every class gets to pick two representatives (a boy and a girl). Those kids will have meetings with the principal and present the ideas of their class.
She was delighted by the idea of representing her class and asked me if she please could (I had to sign a permission slip).

It was awesome to hear her talk so enthusiastically about the possibility of being a class representative. Apparently, the boys weren’t really into it (none of them showed interest at the time) but the girls all the more (about 12 or so). And, as in real life, if you want to get elected, you need to give a speech. I wasn’t exactly sure how Lisa would feel about that (what do you mean, projection?), but it turns out I was more nervous about it than she was. Man, I can still remember very lively how I wanted the earth to swallow me the few times I had to give a speech at school. She on the other hand happily sat down this weekend and wrote her speech.

What can I say? I’m so proud of Lisa for wanting to help her class by representing them. That she’s aware of the responsibility and that she is willing to take it on.
Since there are a lot of girls that expressed interest, chances are she will not be chosen. And that’s ok. What matters is that she wants to listen to her classmates and represent them to the best of her ability, that she has thought about what this means and wants to take that responsibility.

It’s easy to get fixated on a goal; if we can reach that goal, then we’ve made it. And the goal becomes the only thing that matters, and we forget to enjoy the journey. But life is a journey and the journey won’t stop until life stops. A goal may seem like a stationary destination, but it never is. Even if you reach your goal, the journey isn’t over. And a lot of people are fixated on goals, if I can have this…., if I can be that…. The worst is when you think you will be happy once you reach your goal. It may for a while, but often our goals are not the once that bring peace and happiness. And far more important than the goal is the journey. It’s about the things the learn on our way through life. How to be kind and respectful to ourselves and others, how to be resilient when things get tough.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t have goals. I believe it’s important to have goals and strive for them. Just remember the goal isn’t what’s important, it’s the journey. And it’s when we can appreciate our journey when we can feel grateful and have peace of mind.

So, safe travels and remember to enjoy the road.