"The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand. . .
as in what direction we are moving."
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined,
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
-- Henry David Thoreau
There is entirely too much emphasis on arriving and not nearly enough on the journey. We live in a world wanting instant gratification, instant success, instant service.
I used to be very goal-oriented. I set goals for everything and kept track of my progress all the while focused on the destination. I used to see that quote about 'smelling the flowers along the way' and pretend I was, but wasn't and didn't. I studied how to set goals to improve reaching them and to reach them so I could set some more. I taught goal setting. It was all about achievement and all about the destination.
Today, I haven't given up on goals, but just changed how I look at what I am doing and where I am going. Now I make decisions about what I want and act on my intuition and inspiration. I keep what I want in mind, yet not to the exclusion of enjoying all that is around me. What is around me is wonderful; that is, full of wonder to the point that the destination is less important than experiencing right now and enjoying what I like about what is in my life right now rather than focusing on what I want that I do not now have.
Nothing happens without desire and you could easily call that a goal. As I would have a desire for something it was usually a result of something I didn't desire. There was too much of a tendency to focus on what I didn't like rather than on what I wanted--but more important than this was not seeing the things I did like mixed in with what I didn't like.
The biggest change in me in the last few years is seeing what I do like about right now and focusing on that and ignoring as much as humanly possible of what I do not like right now. I appreciate what is good in my life right now while I desire to have more, do more or be more. That might sound like a small, insignificant difference to you right now, but I tell you that it is a monumental difference. I would even go so far as to say it is all the difference.
What do you really appreciate and enjoy right now this moment? Being grateful for it is huge. I find myself giving thanks all day long, including first thing when I awake and last thing before I nod off to sleep.
Though I want more, if I never arrive at my desired destination, it is no loss.
That destination is truly worth arriving at.
I Am On The Road And I Feel The Road Beneath Me, The Air Around Me, The Sights And Smells, And The Glory That Is Right Here And Now. I Am Grateful For Every Second Of It.
Spread Some Joy Today--Think about what you enjoy in your day. That thinking will change you and others will notice the change. What a great way to spread joy.
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