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** DON'T FORGET TO ENJOY THE
JOURNEY by Graham White **
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Most of us
celebrate achieving our goals. We have a party at graduation, we love
our new car, new home and vacation. But the enjoyment of goals doesn't
last much beyond a few weeks. If we spend 2 years saving for a new
vehicle, 4 years working towards graduation, 25 years to pay off our home and
40 years working so that we can retire, we won't enjoy very much of our lives
if all we do is celebrate our achievements.
If we're not
enjoying the process, if we don't love what we're doing along the way, if we
forget to pay attention to the scenery along the way, we won't get much out of
our life's journey.
Have you ever been
the one driving through particularly scenic country on the way to your
destination? Have you ever wished that you could put the vehicle on
auto-pilot just so you could look out the window and focus on the scenery you
were driving by? Maybe you've driven through some incredible countryside
at night and regretted the fact that you couldn't enjoy any of the beauty you
were passing by.
Are you so focused
on your goals, the end result, that you've forgotten to take time to enjoy the
things you have in your life? Have you forgotten how incredible you
thought your spouse was when you got married by getting lost in the grind of
every day life? Are you so miserable about work or the debt that you've
created that you can't seem to enjoy anything about your life? Do you
find yourself looking at other people's lives and thinking you would be happy
if you could be living theirs instead of yours?
It's so important
to take time to enjoy the simple things in your life. You may need to
take the perspective that no matter how difficult or challenging you are
finding your situation, you enjoy a quality of life that the majority of the
world's population can only dream about. You have complete freedom of
choice and expression. You have choices about what to eat, what to wear,
what to watch on TV, what type of entertainment you engage in and the
spiritual choices you choose to adopt.
If you are focused
on what you don't have, what others have that you want, what you haven't
achieved that you should have or how your life is so lousy because of your
current situation you're missing the point.
Even if you are
going through some very challenging circumstances, you can choose to celebrate
the fact that you are going to be a stronger and wiser person because of
them. You won't enjoy the situation, but you can appreciate the fact
that you'll grow because of it. If you've recognized some poor decisions
have created difficult circumstances, you can celebrate the fact that you did
so now rather than 20 years from now and that you have the ability to begin
working your way out.
If you're feeling
that your life is simply mediocre and you wish that you had a lifestyle more
like what you imagine the successful, rich and famous live, you're missing the
point. You can still choose to work towards those goals, but if you're
20 years away from the perfect blissful life you imagine, wouldn't it be a
shame not to begin enjoying the journey? What if you die 19 years from
now, having been focused on your dream and never having enjoyed the journey?
The easiest way to
begin enjoying the journey, is to begin sharing what you DO have with
others. The act of sharing will keep you focused on what you have rather
than what you want. Find a group or an individual that you identify with
that needs something you have. Become a mentor, volunteer on a
committee, spend one day a month donating your time to a cause you believe in,
adopt a foster child overseas, focus on what you have to offer to your
children and spend time teaching them.
Even with very
little or no money there are things you can do to celebrate and enjoy your
life. Get together with friends to play games, have dinner, watch a
video or go for a walk or bike-ride. Look into activities being hosted
by your church or community. Go out to a movie on cheap night, get
together for coffee, read a favorite book, go dancing or window
shopping. Go out one day every month and test drive the cars of your
dreams or attend the open house events in neighborhoods you dream of living in
one day.
Life is a wonderful
journey. Take time to smell the roses on the way to your destination or
you may find that you've missed out on the most wonderful part of your
life...today.
Graham White www.incrediblepotential.com
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If you are
currently dealing with a challenge or you are deeply concerned about the
situation of another but don't know how to help, e-mail your question for a
reply with the specific strategies that you can implement in yourself to
encourage them to change.
info@incrediblepotential.com
Graham White www.incrediblepotential.com
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