For those of us who tend to be ambitious and goal-oriented, it’s easy to get so engrossed in planning and working toward the future that we lose touch with the present. Happiness, joy, and peace always seem to be out there, hanging on the end of a stick like a carrot leading a mule.
We say things like, “I’ll be happy when my business hits six figures.” or “When all the kids are in school things will be easier. ” I believe it was John Lennon who said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”
Then, there are those folks who live so much in the moment that all they care about is what they’re going to watch on television this evening, eat for dinner, or what party they’re going to this weekend.
My dad use to say you could measure a person’s intelligence by how far they plan into the future. Folks with a five year or ten year plan seem to have more on the ball than the ones who are only looking forward to the big beer party Saturday night.
I tend to agree with him, but there is this sweet spot that I’ve been trying to nestle into where I can expect great things for the future, but enjoy every moment of the process of getting there. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy the now.
The importance of the journey and the moment has become ever-increasingly clear to me over the last five years as I’ve achieved many of my big goals. The truth is making six figures doesn’t make you instantly happy. Sure, it solves a lot of the ongoing troubles, but you still have challenges. Quite frankly, it’s never enough.
Happiness doesn’t magically appear because you conquer a hurdle or achieve a goal. In fact, there is almost a let-down when you achieve a major goal — there’s this feeling of “This is it? This is what I thought would be such a big deal?” The destination becomes as natural and ordinary as any of the “next steps” you took along the journey.
Lately, I’ve found myself not setting goals, not making huge plans that consume my every waking hour. I’ve come to trust the journey and trust the moment. It’s hard to put into words. Yes, I work, yes I plan, but it’s not with this feverish intensity that believes that reaching this goal is going to solve all my problems and make all my dreams come true.
Instead, I concentrate on finding joy in the moment — even when everything isn’t ideal. I’m learning you can find joy
- even when your relationships aren’t ideal,
- even when you’re not making all the money you’d love to make,
- even when you don’t have the addition on your house you’d like to build someday, and
- even when all the ones you love aren’t home for Christmas.
The trick is finding the joy in the journey and not in the destination. It’s in learning the lessons of today and being grateful for the opportunity to grow. Most of all it’s trusting that no matter what happens and no matter what you’re enduring, it is all going to work together for your highest good.
What about you? Have you found that sweet spot between planning for the future and living in the now? I’d love to hear what you’ve learned and experienced!
About Marnie Pehrson Kuhns
Marnie Pehrson Kuhns is a Certified SimplyAlign Practitioner™ who uses music and creativity to mentor you past barriers, fears and doubts to discover, create, align with, and deliver your soul’s song (the mission, message or purpose you are on this earth to live). Marnie is a best-selling author with 31 fiction and nonfiction titles. If you'd like Marnie and her husband Dave to work with you personally on Your Great Reinvention, get a FREE 20-minute strategy session with Marnie here.
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