Keep The Journey Pleasant

Imagine there are two kids.

• One is a cheerful kid who studies hard and approaches exams in an easy, pleasant manner without obsessing about the results. 
• The second kid is very hardworking but a worrier, obsessed with getting the highest marks in every exam.

The final results come in. The first kid secures a second class, while the second kid gets a first-class with distinction. Naturally, the first kid feels terrible about not getting the first-class. But after a few days, he bounces back positive, ready for the next challenge. Meanwhile, the second kid feels good that he earned the first-class with distinction. He celebrates for a few days, after which he is back to obsessing and worrying about where to go next- “Which Ivy league college should I get to.” 

Passing out of college, landing your first job, being promoted for the first time, meeting your soul mate, getting married, having kids, buying your first house, running your first marathon, etc. Our lives are full of such memorable peak moments.

If we imagine our lives like a train journey, these peak moments are like the different destinations that come along the way. 

Here is the catch: on a train journey, the stop at any destination only lasts a few minutes, after which the train continues onward. Our lives are the same way. We spend more time on the journey than at the destinations. If this is the case, what is the quality of our life journey?

Is it similar to the second kid operating with the burden of having to come up being the top at everything and, in the process, forgetting to enjoy the journey? Or is it like the first child, who is happy and having a pleasant life, despite occasional setbacks?

Unfortunately, some of us spend our time obsessing about our destinations instead of figuring out how to keep the journey pleasant. In worrying about the destinations, we deteriorate the quality of our life, stressing and sweating about the small issues.

Our life is a one-way journey to be enjoyed, along with all the destinations.