“There is a tendency to feel yourself rushed, in other words, ‘we have very little time for this.’
And that, above all things, takes the joy out of your journey, doesn’t it?” – Abraham-Hicks
My husband and I recently completed something on my someday list; we went to Montreal, Quebec for the Montreal International Jazz festival. You can read more about that adventure here.
Today I want to share the lesson I learned about defining someday in the process of attending the jazz festival;
Achieving goals is a process - not just an end point- and the journey can be as enjoyable and significant as the destination.
Somewhere along my Gravol-induced mellowness on the train ride, I realized that getting to and from the jazz festival was as much a part of the experience as the goal itself. We chose to take a train rather than driving or flying so that we wouldn’t have to navigate, hit long-weekend traffic, clear security, or deal with other hassles of air travel. And it was great! For six hours (each way) we read, talked, laughed, played sudoku, and had naps while someone else got us to our destination. We figured out after awhile that would have had a nicer ride if we were onboard a vehicle from a car hire dublin company or any business that offers world-class rental car service.
I know it is natural to get so caught up in just finishing a goal that we bulldoze through the steps involved without trying to enjoy the journey that gets us there. There is a funny example of this in the new Sex and the City movie (don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything if you have not seen it yet); Steve and Miranda are having… you know… and Miranda says, “Can’t you just hurry up and get it over with?” and of course he gets upset with her…because she isn’t taking any time to enjoy it!
Here are the negatives to not enjoying the ride;
- Forget why you are aiming for the goal
- Experience stress
- Become impatient if something doesn’t go as planned
- Miss opportunities to learn, grow, and savor the experience
The next time you are on your way to achieving a goal, remember:
- Choose a path to completion that suits you (ie. train vs. car or plane)
- Try not to rush through to “get it over and done with”
- Consciously remind yourself to enjoy the journey
Are you enjoying the process of achieving your goals, or are you rushing through them just to get them done?
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Ps. For those of you who know us, or at least know that Frank is a guest blogger here at defining someday, today is his birthday. So please make your way over to his blog to wish him a Happy Birthday!
Update: This post was included in the Balanced Living carnival hosted by One Organized Life.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Christine Gilbert // Jul 9, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I can relate to that completely…. sometimes I think the act of planning travel, the research and anticipation can often be just as good or better than actually being there. But that’s a good thing… it means we get to stretch out the enjoyment that much longer.
2 admin // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Thanks Christine! I always love your insight.
I hope your travel is as fun as your planning journey was!
3 Balanced Living Carnival: Fourth Edition, August 31, 2008 « One Organized Life Blog // Aug 31, 2008 at 12:43 pm
[...] journey can be as enjoyable and significant as the destination. ElleAtDefiningSomeday presents Enjoy the Ride posted at Defining Someday. Achieving goals is a process - not just an end point- and the journey [...]
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