As we sit here just over halfway through the first month of the new year, it’s hard to believe how quickly the time is already moving! It’s impossible to know, from where I’m sitting, how this new year has kicked off for you. Maybe it has been slow to go? Maybe you have already backed out of a few of things you told yourself you would do? Or, maybe you are pushing through and staying focused on your goals! Wherever you are in the array of options, what I have to share in the next few minutes is applicable to YOU! And not only applicable, but I truly hope it will set you up to start creating the mindset that will make this year your best year yet!
Do you consider yourself an impatient person? I do! Looking back to my childhood, my parents will always tell you that I had no patience. When I decided I wanted something, or wanted to do something, I wanted it now! And maybe, more so, I wasn’t able to focus on anything else until I had accomplished what it was that I decided I wanted to do. Everything else went by the wayside, tomorrow wasn’t soon enough! You get it, right? I get it now more than ever … probably because I have an 11 year old with that very same way of thinking! Karma!
This trait has stayed with me into adulthood! So, when I tell you I’ve heard every motivational quote like “Life is not about the destination, it’s about the journey” that exists, I’m not kidding. And, if you share this personality trait with me, you’ve probably heard them too. (And have been pissed off hearing them a time or two) But, what does it mean? How does it truly apply to our lives … every single day?
When I started thinking about this topic, I settled on writing about “There is Peace in the Process”! Because, at the end of the day, that is what we all desire, right? Peace! But, that led to my first round of questions … Is there peace in the process automatically … If we just accept it? Or, is it our job to put the peace into the process? It may not be inherently there, but surely we can cultivate a mindset of peace in the process. At the root of these questions comes one common theme … we NEED peace in the process! Why? Because life is a big process! As we reach one destination, we may stop and enjoy it for a short bit. But, our human nature is to naturally embark on the next adventure. Push ourselves further.
When we stop to think about that, it means that the majority of our life is spent, not at the destination, but in the process! THAT is why we have to have peace IN the process … we spend the majority of our lives IN the process! A problem I see all too often is that our society tries to tell us that we’ll be happy when we get to our destination. Just finish school and get a job. Just find someone and get married. Just get that promotion and make more money. Keep pushing toward these ideas of success and we’ll be happy. And, although these milestones usually lead to very happy celebrations, just as they should, it’s not long before we are looking for the next mountain we are going to climb. And that is how I think life is designed to work! It’s how we are wired.
There are many times that I have been told that I should just be happy with the accomplishments that I’ve made. Just enjoy this success and stop looking for the next opportunity. And, this is where I fundamentally disagree with anyone who would give that advice. We should always keep looking for the next opportunity … find yourself constantly in the process of self improvement, life improvement and improving the lives of everyone around you! Because, are you ready for it? When you have PEACE IN THE PROCESS, you can enjoy your time getting to the destination. The destination is the ultimate goal … but how long it takes you to get there becomes unimportant! Irrelevant!
The truth is, there is SO much in the process! There is peace. There is joy. There is fun. There is disappointment. There is heartache. Each of these serves as a balance to the other. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy the highs of the good times if we didn’t also experience the lows of the harder times. To fill in the *blank* in the title, I believe the answer is, there is LIFE in the process! When we are on our deathbeds at 90 years old, the memories that will hopefully flood our minds are the ones of the LIFE we lived in the process of getting from destination to destination. The people we met! The love we shared! The lives we changed for the better! This is the LIFE IN THE PROCESS! When we understand this, we can stop focusing so much on the destinations in life and start focusing on the process, the everyday life, that carries us to each destination.
I don’t know about you! But, my goal as we look into this new year is to enjoy the journey! There will be ups and there will be downs … that is one of life’s few promises. But, every up and every down carries us closer to that next destination. When we get there, we will celebrate! We will throw parties like you wouldn’t believe! And create memories with those that are part of our journey. Then, we’ll settle in and start finding our way to our next adventure. Destination in mind … but a daily focus on making the most of every part of this journey we call life!
Do you want to join me in focusing on enjoying the journey this year? If so, I’d love to hear from you so we can share each other’s successes! And lift each other up when the process may seem too heavy. Feel free to drop a comment here on the blog. Or, shoot me an email to cody@bcreativekc.com to get the conversation started. I can’t wait to see where we all are on this day next year!
Know better! Do better!
Cody
PS: Does music speak to you the way that it does to me? If so, reinforce these ideas with this gem from Miley.
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