It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters.
How many times have you seen this quote printed somewhere or heard it said? If you’re like me, you’ve seen it and heard it many times.
I wonder, though, what does it mean to you?
For me, this quote has always suggested that it doesn’t matter whether you reach your destination or achieve your goals or not. To me, this quote has always suggested that the experiences you have along the way to your destination, the things you learn and the ups and downs that you have as you move toward your goals are what actually matter.
Of course, if you quit heading toward your destination, or if you give up on your goals, that which matters the most, your journey, stops. So, having destinations and goals are an important part of finding and experiencing the things in life that really matter. At least, that is what this quote seems to suggest.
I’ve always liked this quote and have taken it to heart many times. I believe that reaching destinations and achieving goals is secondary to the journey that takes people to these things. Until recently, however, I had always thought part of what this quote was suggesting was that actually reaching our destinations and achieving our goals is not important. I had always thought that the purpose of destinations and goals was just to motivate people to begin taking journeys.
Now, I am beginning to see things a little differently. With goals like losing weight and saving money, quitting smoking and learning a second language, etc. where do we end up if we don’t see our journeys through to their completion? If we don’t use the knowledge that we have gained from our journey to help us get to where we are going and/or to achieve our goals, have we really learned anything at all?
When I began trying to lose weight eleven weeks ago through exercise alone, I thought long and hard about what the best way to ensure that I exercised everyday would be. I came to the conclusion that exercising first thing in the morning was best for me, and envisioned myself developing the habit of getting out of bed at 5:00, going downstairs, and exercising hard for at least 10 minutes everyday before doing anything else.
I tried doing this. And for the first four weeks or so, I did it quite well. It wasn’t easy, but I kept pushing myself to pursue this path with the idea that, as I developed the habit of exercising early in the morning, it would get easier and easier to do.
It hasn’t. Not even a little. In fact, I have been finding that the more I exercise (meaning the longer my workouts are), the harder it is to get up as early in the morning as I intend to.
What has happened, though, is that over the course of these eleven weeks, exercise has become a priority in my daily life. If I don’t exercise first thing in the morning like I intend to, I have found myself finding ways to ask for the time I need to exercise later in the afternoon or evening. Sometimes this means that I exercise while I’m at work. Sometimes it means that I exercise with my children in the early evening. Sometimes it means that I exercise at night after everyone else in my house has gone to bed. In other words, contrary to my initial plan and the expectations I originally had, I have found ways to exercise regularly and I have found ways to adapt my schedule to my new exercise needs.
I haven’t made much progress on the road to losing weight yet, but keeping that goal firmly in front of me, the road ahead of me seems full of valuable lessons that I have yet to learn and important knowledge that I have yet to acquire.
How about you, where are you on the path to your destinations and goals, and what have you learned so far?
This Week’s Accountability Report
Exercise:
Five out of seven days.
Weight:
Despite extending the lengths of most of my workouts this week, my weight has shown no change beyond its typical fluctuations. Last Thursday morning I weighed 81.3 kg, and this morning I weighed 81.4 kg.
Looking Back/Looking Forward
This past week I had guests from America visit me for three days. Entertaining them led to two missed days of exercise and a lot of eating and drinking. A national holiday and a birthday party after their visit didn’t help me cut calories or eat any less than I usually do. I am finding that adjusting my diet is probably going to be an important part of figuring out how to lose weight. I’m not yet sure what the best way to go about making changes to my diet is, but using some of the great suggestions that many people here on Steemit have given me, I’m ready to begin experimenting.
Beginning this week, I am going to make two very small changes. First, I am going to reduce my daily granola serving for breakfast by half. Second, I am going to increase my daily water intake. Since I don't currently know how much water I drink per day, I am going to start by trying to record this. Additionally, I may talk to my wife about reducing my dinner portions by a little. We’ll see.
Congratulations on making exercise a priority! I had the same challenge and have managed daily yoga so far this year. For me, the key to motivating myself to do it now comes from the fact that it would be breaking such a fantastic streak and also that I enjoy (and need) the other benefits of yoga too.
This week I am cutting out wheat and alcohol to help move past a weightloss plateau. I know I react to wheat too, but have been dragging my heels.
Good luck! Funny, I just started a 'community garden' post on Tuesday for planting seeds of good habits.
About water, the best way I know to drink more is to carry a container that I know the quantity of and know how many times I have to fill it to reach my goal ie. 3L equals 4 x 750 mL container.
I was thinking of doing just that with the water. I still have to buy the right water bottle to really be able to keep track of things, but I have a thermos I can use in the mean time.
I found posting here has helped to keep me true up until now. I finding, though, that the longer I continue, the more I do the exercises just for me, because I feel good and want to continue. It’s a nice change.
Your community garden idea sounds like a good one!
Achieving the goal is like a long, exhausting race. Someone can start running fast and in a short time will fall down. And someone will distribute them for the whole distance and cross the finish line. That's why you need certainty and discipline. You are right as always. Thanks for the exchange.
I like your analogy. It’s a good reminder for me. Thank you.
Good post, charming nature.
No nature. Just some ruminations.
I am sorry.
Keep up the good work! I wish I had discipline like you.
It’s a choice, really. One that you make every day.
UP VOTE to your wonderful effort!
Thanks @yoshiko. I’m trying. We’ll see if the weight starts dropping or not. 😬
体重の記録、続いてますね！嬉しいです。
まだ頑張っていますよ。生活習慣の変更ができたと思います。でも結果はまだまだそんなに出ていません。
Remember to track your waist measurement too. That's more important than your weight, as muscle gained through exercise will be denser than the fat you lose, leading to lost
inchescentimeters even as your weight doesn't change much.This is a talk that you're going to have to have at some point. Congratulations though on sticking with this as you have. Through regular exercise, you are benefiting in ways that aren't all obvious, but are no less important than weight loss. Keep going!
With the weight measurement, I’ve been wondering if it’s worth doing on a weekly basis. I was thinking about just checking it from month to month because I can imagine it changing very quickly.
The conversation I have to have. I know. I’m not good at those. But I’m getting encouragement here and am building myself up.
I am trying to lose weight as well so I started doing Intermittent Fasting. I can't do heavy exercises due to my Hernia. If fasting works for me I will let you know.
Thanks. I’ve heard that intermittent fasting can be very effective. I don’t really know the first thing about it though. I’m not the best at researching things on my own and haven’t looked into it yet. Let me know how it works for you.
I think setting small goals is so important for your mental health because you can experience success along the way to your ultimate goal! It keeps you focus and encouraged and it makes you feel as if your end goal isn't far away!
I love that saying even though everyone has heard it a million times... There is a reason why people have heard it over and over again, it's true! Its the journey that is important! The journey makes you a stronger, healthier, happier person! :)
I feel like I’ve lost my way a million times in the past. Sometimes, that has been good. Sometimes, it hasn’t. I like the rhythm I have going now: a long term goal with weekly check-ins and smaller goals (both related and unrelated) on the way.
Thanks for the comment!