While growing up, I was quite familiar with words like "Life is a journey", "we are all on a journey" etc without much understanding of what exactly these words meant. I later had a better understanding of it all. It became clearer to me that, as individuals, we all are headed for a destination (depending on what you believe). Everyone has a destination. Something we intend to become or achieve in life or somewhere we intend to go. To get to our destination, we must embark on a journey. A journey of discovery that is oftentimes full of expectations that we would rather oftentimes avoid if we have our way. Let me quickly remind you however, this piece is not really about expectations or the hurdles of a journey. It is simply about the way we see destinations viz-a-viz the journey to the destination.
We are often caught in the illusion that if (once) we reach our destination we then become automatically happy. This often make us close our eyes to the fun, the joy, ecstasy and of course the memories of the journey and become obsessed with the destination. This obsession, otherwise known as "destination disease", remains one of the reasons why some people remain sad in life. They think that arriving at their destination in life will bring them happiness. The truth really is that many times when they arrive, they discover that it wasn't really what they expected it to be. If you become fixated on a destination alone, you will most likely miss the great things that happen along the way. If you focus too much on tomorrow, you might miss the joy of today. I agree that it is good to have a destination and to be focus on it but we must also be reminded that it is the journey that matters in the end. If you are one of those that believe that “someday” is going to be your "happy day", you would definitely not get enough of today. Sincerely, it is very easy to become dissatisfied and disengaged with where we are because of where we desire to be. All the same, joy can still be found in every day living even while we are journeying to that place. We must constantly be reminded to seek out what is good, particularly when we are in a difficult or unsatisfying place and time in life. We must never forget that the destination is a reward for the journey. If you focus too much on the destination at the detriment of the journey you will miss a lot of fun along the way. You must begin to enjoy where you are on your journey now and as you progress towards your destination your joy grows, the fun grows and of course the expectation grows.
Truly the journey is greater than the destination. A place, situation, or even a person will not ultimately make us happy. It's who we are and how we chose to see things that creates the joy we are all looking for! How we live, learn, grow and develop on our journey will determine how much we enjoy it. The antidote to “destination disease” is to live your life to the fullest everyday and grow a network of people who are doing the same. It is not enough to have a destination or a reason for living, it is also imperative that you are enjoying the journey with a group of friends on a similar track. If not, it’s never too late to find it. Keep enjoying the seize-able moments along the way. Some of them can be life changing. Remember, the joy is in the ride; not in the destination; therefore enjoy the ride until you reach your destination.
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