Journey before destination.

Most of my life I struggle with a chaotic mind that never lives in the present, and rarely in a focused state. As soon as I start doing something, it starts planning the future, daydreaming about the goals to achieve, or regretting previous failures or decisions. Even when I am enjoying nature, or doing something relaxing, my mind is rushing away.

The huge problem with that is our mind doesn’t see a difference between doing a thing and thinking about doing it. If I spend the whole day planning and thinking about how my next project will be a huge success, I get tired the same way as I would be actually making this project a reality.

The same goes for learning or practising. Sometimes, I spend many hours preparing a learning plan. Then I notice how motivation for it starts to fade. Then, even when I start learning the skill, I focus on the goal, I focus on the future gratification when I will finally be able to do what I am learning. In that moment the motivation is completely gone, and all I can think of is how I failed to learn another skill.

The reality, however, is that the most important process is happening right now. If I focus on the actual process of the present, on the actual action I am doing right now, everything else doesn’t matter. Everything else will become the product of the focus.

The project you are working on will become the result of the action you’re doing right in this moment. The new skill will become the result of the process of practising this craft.

There are no shortcuts in life, and everything that’s worth pursuing requires patience, time, and practice. But the reality is that life itself is the practice of the present moment too. The future and past don’t exist. The only moment you have is now.

As soon as this understanding truly settles in, life becomes much more enjoyable and pleasant. You don’t need to focus on gratifications, purchases, goals, and achievements. The only thing that’s important is to focus on whatever it is you’re doing and actually doing it. That’s it.

The phrase from the fantasy series “The Stormlight Archive” by Brandon Sanderson “journey before destination” is actually more than just another cliché quote to post on your Facebook page.

I’d argue it’s life itself, and it’s the only way to achieve everything you want and enjoy the process. Because the process is everything.