When you go on an average day trip hike, chances are you are hiking to a summit, or to some sort of scenic view. There is a reward at the top, but first you have to climb there. The climbing is tedious and often very difficult. The trail will test your resilience at every turn, willing you to fail. But you push on. You overcome the odds. You conquer the mountain. When you reach the top, there is no greater feeling of satisfaction in the world. You have done it; you made it.
Metaphorically, hiking is like life. When you start out on some stage of your life, whether it is a new job, new business, or moving to a new place – you are starting at the bottom of the mountain. To become successful, you must climb the mountain. It will test you in ways you never knew existed. Many times you will slip and fall, just to get right back up and continue climbing. Sometimes, you will even fall lower than you were when you started.
The destination’s shadow; the journey.The journey is the far overlooked, undervalued part of life. It has no glamor, no fame. Often it is the hardest part of our lives. But without the journey, we are nothing. I hear you from your chair saying “Give me a million dollars and I’ll show you how good the destination is”. The fact is, since you don’t have a million dollars, you have probably had to worry about money for your entire life. So, in a way, even if I handed you a million dollars, you would have been on a long journey to get there. But that is like skipping the hike and driving to the top of the mountain. What have you learned, what have you gained? Sure, you are filled with some sort of satisfaction, but wouldn’t it be better if you had struggled up the hike?
Instead of me handing you a million dollars, let’s consider this situation. You are walking home from work one day when a fantastic idea hits you. It may be nothing, but boy would it be cool! So you rush home, brainstorm like crazy and decide to start a business. Fast forward three years. You are the CEO of a successful business that you have built from the ground up, and you have just now made your first million dollars. How much better would that be? The immense sense of accomplishment and pride would be overwhelming. You are the product of your own success. Bravo!
SO WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?
What I’m saying is that life is hard, stressful, overwhelming (insert a thousand synonyms). It can be so easy to become too focused on your dreams and the future, and lose sight of the present. However, the present is the most important aspect of your life because it’s what you can control. You can control each individual action you do right here, right now. You can’t control your far off dreams. If you want to get there, you have to chip away at it every single day, little by little. It will seem torturous at times, but that’s good. You have to suffer to be able to appreciate success when you earn it. Even if you are Bill Gates son, to be able to find success in yourself you are going to have to push yourself further than you thought possible. That’s why I always say success isn’t measured by how much money you have. You can be born into all the money in the world, but you aren’t born successful.
Don’t lose sight of the present. Make the best of the days you have now, and slowly work your way to your dreams. That way, when you finally reach the future you have always wanted, you will know it. You will appreciate it.
Spinning Atlas 