Life is a marathon, not a sprint. We often get so caught up in rushing ourselves to the “finish line” — towards whatever that ultimate goal is that we are trying to accomplish. I have done this many times, where I want something so badly that I focus, almost obsessively, on that thing that I forget to stop and appreciate where I am in the journey. It is almost like I am trying to sprint my way to that “thing” that I lose sight of the process it takes to get there.
Distance running, or running in general, was something I once detested. The thought of running for 10 minutes made my skin crawl. Then one day on a whim, I signed up for a 5k race after seeing a sign for it in my chiropractor’s office. The first run was awful and I thought to myself, “what the heck am I doing this for”… I am sure I had more colorful words than that! Then the first run turned into 2 and 5 and 10 and then that first race. Ahhh. Anyways… Next thing I knew I was running half marathons and then a marathon.
One thing that I have had to learn along the way is to enjoy the process. The good runs where I feel unstoppable and the runs where I want to call it quits after 5 minutes. The thing is, we have to keep going- especially if we are miles away from home, we still have to turn back and run home. The days where we feel we cannot go on are not terrible days or a waste of training, they are “character building” days. The days where we push harder, feel stronger, and finish on a high are the days that show us we can truly accomplish anything, including that race for which we are training.
*******
The same is true for life. Life truly begins during the journey- it is where we learn about ourselves, we grow, we adapt, we build character, and we feel a deeper connection to who we are, within. We may feel we have our paths all mapped out however, we may need to veer off course or even take several detours to get to where we are going but, the one thing that holds true is the journey. Going through the motions of the day by day just waiting to arrive at the destination is not allowing ourselves to fully be present of where we are, right now. And, once we truly embrace the journey that we are on and appreciate the moments — the highs and lows, the day by day, we can truly become alive and step into our greatness.
So, no matter where you are on your journey, stop and smell the roses. Appreciate where you are and know that tomorrow is another day towards your destination.
*******
Thank you for reading this post! If you liked this story, please give it a thumbs up and consider following along in my journey of sharing my thoughts and experiences on this platform. “Use your smile to change the world, do not let the world change your smile.”
