I read something extremely interesting on The Daily Love blog which was about journeys. I love reading The Daily Love because it always has inspiring and eye-opening stories and blog posts. This particular blog, called "Discover the Joy in the Journey (Because there is no destination!" written by music manager and regular Daily Love blogger Bryan Reeves, analyses what the phrase "the joy is in the journey" really means and I felt what he was saying really applied to me and the purpose of my own blog. I am all about journeys and where I am headed, but this made me stop and think about what the journey really means...
What I took from what Bryan was saying was that we get so preoccupied in trying to get somewhere, to reach that destination, and then once we get there we only end up having to start a new journey again! So why must we rush to finish a journey if there is only another one waiting for us? We might as well enjoy the one we are on now, and know that when we reach the destination, it was a good memory to be had and we welcome new experiences with the next journey. Some journeys are better than others, some are horrible and boring and seem to drag on forever, and some are exciting and vibrant and make life seem like the best thing since sliced bread.
Life is full of journeys and is always moving in what we hope is forward. Who says we will ever reach a destination? We could be on one continuous journey, or change route before even reaching the destination, because life is unpredictable like that. We never know what is around the corner.
Everyone is so caught up trying to get somewhere, that they miss the beauty along the way, all the things that make life what it is. We just become blind to what is around us, like we are wearing blinkers that only allow us to see that destination. Of course it is good to have dreams and goals and focus on them, but it really is the journey towards them that counts. Because you might not ever reach that goal and have wasted days, months, and years of your life ignoring what is around you. Or, the journey we are on now could be our last. We never know.
I was thinking about my own journeys, right from my school days to right now, where I'm training in Germany to get as much knowledge as I can to eventually start my own career. But I also thought of how many times I got so caught up in getting to the destination that I made the journey so tough and boring for myself, that I didn't even get to where I wanted to be anyway.
That has happened in particularly in the past year or two. Where I became so focused on indivual goals, that I gave up everything that didn't contribute to getting me there (college, other activities, teaching, time off with friends) and honestly I made the whole thing downright miserable. I now realize that while it is important to keep your goal in focus, it is also important to do things that make you happy and enable you to work hard to get to where you want to be. Because I don't know about anyone else, but I find it pretty impossible to put any worthwhile, hard work in when I am unhappy.
Whilst in Germany, I have resolved to adopt their own maxim of "work hard, play hard". While I am training hard here and helping out at the barn, every day is to be enjoyable, making the most of being away from home and meeting new people. I am looking to my destination, which is to get home to England and start training my horses myself again, as well as go to college and start teaching (finally!!). That will be a journey of hard work, but the key is to make it fun :)