We've all heard the phrase, "The joy is in the journey," but what does it really mean?
I think Ghandi said it best, "Joy lies in the flight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself." Yes, our joy rarely comes from the completion of anything, but from the building of something, the struggles we overcome and the wisdom gained.
Can you remember a time when you really wanted something and were so excited about it, yet once you got it you were surprised at how quickly the thrill faded? That's exactly what happened when I published my first book, which took nearly nine years to write. After all those years of anticipation, when the first printed copies arrived in the mail, it was like, "Okay that's done, now what? Time for new aims." In fact, if I'm being completely honest, I may have felt a little disappointed because the adventure was over.
Of course, there is one journey that never ends - our own personal pilgrimage - the totality of all our mini excursions rolled into one. It is a journey best enjoyed when we remain consciously present and allow ourselves to feel it all - the happy as well as the heartbreak. And as we travel on, surely our most treasured gifts will be the deeper connections reached with ourselves, our Creator and the amazing people we met along the way.
The joy is in the grow.
Happy travels loves!