The Journey Is The Destination

Last night I was on a date with my wife and she asked me “what are some of your favorite memories from your childhood”. I listed a few things and one of them was when I got to go to Disney World, but probably not for the reasons you’d expect.

I got to live every young child’s dream! I got to go to Disney World at the age of 12. My grandparents decided to take me and one of my sisters on a trip from Michigan all the way to Florida to have this once in a lifetime experience. Instead of flying, we decided to drive the whole way and looking back, this trip has made me someone that to this day, I’d rather drive than fly.

My grandparents went to a Methodist church. The Methodist church at the time had an incredible resource to help people that traveled. It was a book of Methodist people all over the United States that were willing to open up their homes and let guests stay with them for free. This was long before Airbnb and even better because it was free! We broke the long trip up into multiple nights and stayed with 3 families we had never met before. Each family unique in its own way but incredibly hospitable.

I remember stopping to see the blue grass in Kentucky, taking pictures at monuments, stopping to skip rocks in a fresh water stream, mapping out the next section of the trip on our map since GPS wasn’t around yet.

As I started telling my wife how much I loved my trip to Disney World I had a realization that caused me to audibly pause. I realized that nothing I was telling her about the trip had anything to do with Disney World. It had everything to do with the journey of getting there. Truth be told, I barely remember what it was like to walk around Disney, ride the rides and take pictures with famous characters.

If you told me when I was 12 that I’d remember the trip more than Disney itself, I wouldn’t have believed you. Disney is a dream! Every kids dream! And I got to go!

It’s taken me all these years to realize that it’s not about where you’re going but who you’re going with and what you’re experiencing along the way.

It’s too easy to become consumed with achieving certain goals that we fail to realize that the lessons along the way are what make the achievement truly special. We all have goals for our careers, families, finances, relationships, etc but when is the last time you’ve stopped to realize that you’re doing it? You’re right in the thick of it. You may not be at that end goal but you’re on your way.

What are the lessons you’re learning right now? What are you experiencing in this season? Who are the people your journeying with? 20 years from now these are the things that you’re going to remember more than what you’ve accomplished.

I want to raise kids that love God, love others and give back. This is my goal for them. I can’t overlook the here and now at the expense of the goal. Each moment of them yelling at each other, not sharing, throwing fits, etc is an opportunity for my wife and I to intentionally mold them toward that ultimate goal. They won’t magically arrive there without us being fully invested in the journey.

That promotion you want isn’t going to fall into your lap on its own. It can however happen when you stop looking at your current position as an obstacle and start viewing it as an opportunity to learn and grow into the person you need to be in order to sustain the promotion.

The destination isn’t the journey, the journey is the destination.

Embrace your journey. Be intentional in your journey. Map it out, adjust when needed, but don’t let the long range view of your destination rob you of the deep treasure of joy and lessons buried in the here and now.