Your Journey Will Never Be Over, But It Will Be Perfect.
I used to work hard and suffer a lot.
I would be “serious” about any project I was working on.
Celebration could come at the end. But there was no time for that before it was complete.
I would travel the same way. I would stress about all the details of the trip. Did I have enough fuel? Did I miss a turn? Was I going too fast? Was I going too slow?
I thought I had to stress about it to get it right. I also thought I would relax and enjoy myself when I arrived.
But the arrival was usually a brief moment of relief before diving into more stress of unpacking.. Then settling in.. Then whatever was next…
This pattern showed up in many other areas of my life. Long periods of stress. Brief moments of relief. Even briefer moments of celebration.
I was always waiting to arrive before I could feel good about myself.
Several years ago when I was feeling most frustrated with how bad life sucked I had a dream that helped me shift this.
In the dream:
I was doing one of my favorite things to do as a child, working on a puzzle. I was always serious and focused when I did puzzles. Much like life.
The pieces were coming together and the picture was almost complete.
I was starting to get that swelling, excited feeling that comes up in my chest as I get close to finishing things. It was a sense of satisfaction, mixed with a subtle sadness for something coming to an end.
As I picked up the last piece, the feeling reached its peak as it was obvious where the piece went.
But something about the way the light fell across the final piece compelled me to examine it closer.
As I brought the piece closer to my eye I was a little surprised to see smaller puzzle lines in the puzzle piece.
The puzzle piece was itself a puzzle!
It was a smaller puzzle, with much smaller pieces. And I saw that many of the smaller pieces were missing from this small puzzle.
My mind began to race with questions.
Where were the other pieces?
Where the other pieces also smaller puzzles?
How small did it go?
How could I ever complete a puzzle that never ended?
I also noticed a new sensation rising inside of me. It was curiosity, and excitement, mixed with a wild desire for further exploration.
That is when I woke up!
But the excitement remained. I began to think of my life being an ever unfolding adventure. This meant there were limitless things to learn and discover.
This perspective felt good. The energy of it felt inspiring.
I didn’t have to complete something to feel excited. I didn’t have to arrive to celebrate.
I have been able to apply this insight to my life.
My life has begun to shift because of it.
I feel more excitement during the discovery process then I do at completing something. So why not express the excitement when I feel it.
Excitement, inspiration, and celebration are available to us in every moment.
Why do we wait until completion before we give ourselves permission to celebrate?
We NEVER arrive.
We just transition into what is next. And the transitions are short.
Far too short to squeeze in all the satisfaction, and celebration that is present in a journey. So be sure to celebrate all along the way.
-Kyle Koerner
