What is your end point? Or what is the goal that you keep reaching for?
Maybe it's wanting to make more money? Or wanting to loose 15 lbs? Or being able to buy your dream home? Is it wanting to walk/ run a 5 km loop without stopping?
Is it wanting to have to have the biggest biceps or pecs that you can't fit into your jacket?
Whatever your goals are, I'm sure most of you have heard some version of a quote that says "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome". Or "Life is a journey, make the most of it" ... something like that. Personally, I think these quotes are absolutely true and I think it's important to remember this way of thinking. However, thinking about something, and knowing it to be true, doesn't automatically translate into actions. Sometimes, easier said than done.
I was on a chairlift the other day alone. I don't usually go downhill skiing alone, however this year, because of my schedule, I went a few times during the week by myself. Every time I sat on that chairlift just ME, MYSELF and I, I started to acknowledge this new feeling that I was feeling... something like total peace? I started to notice that I was actually sort of meditating, I felt so present and observant of nature. The trees had this perfect sugar-coating-mini-wheat look to them and when the wind blew, the trees started to dance. The snow blew off the tree tops creating a fairy tale sparkle in the air. I was realizing that the part I usually want to hurry up and go faster, I was seriously enjoying and didn't want it to end.
Then I started to think, WOW.... I'm l-i-t-e-r-a-l-l-y enjoying the journey to the end point... Mind you, on a very small scale, but still! This is progress! Maybe if we apply this concept to all the little parts, then maybe it will reflect onto the larger parts of our lives.
Usually when you think of skiing, you don't think of the chairlift. The elevated passenger ropeway is just a tool to get you to the top. But maybe, we can view this ropeway in a new sort of light. What if we start embracing the means to the end. Like the car ride to work? Or the sweating and shortness of breathe while running up the hill when training for the 5 km race? Or the fear that comes with stepping out of your comfort zone? Or the boredom that comes between projects?
Having goals is necessary. Having targets is important.
As I tell you these next 2 points, I'm also telling myself.
1) Make sure you celebrate when you reach a target and not just go on to the next.
2) Acknowledge and embrace the chairlift ride to the top. If you aren't, maybe think about taking a different chairlift or switching ski hills all together.
What an absolutely beautiful analogy. We must try to never lose our sense of wonder. Nature usually brings it back for me. Our planet is a paradise we take for granted ... as we go to the next thing (as you say). I could see the snow and trees with you. Keep skiing... and taking the chairlift!