4 Mistakes And Life Lessons To Be Grateful For

Prioritizing The Destination Over The Journey

Source: IURII KRASILNIKOV / Getty

Having a strong work ethic is admirable, and working towards your goals every day is something to be proud of. However, it’s common to make the mistake of focusing just on the destination, and not asking yourself if you enjoy the journey. Here’s why it matters: results are not guaranteed. They’re one of those external factors you can’t control. You can do everything experts say you should do to achieve a certain goal and, at the end of the day, luck, fate, nepotism, the direction of the wind and other things beyond your control will influence the outcome. If you ever worked hard at something you didn’t enjoy, and then didn’t get the outcome you wanted, this is one of those painful life lessons.

It’s important to create a day-to-day life that you enjoy. Don’t tell yourself, “I can be happy someday when this or that happens.” This or that may never happen. The only thing you can control is making sure that you build a journey you enjoy. The destination might change, or you could never get there. You don’t want to wake up one day and realize you lived in a miserable way for years, all for the sake of an outcome that never came to fruition.

Lesson: Make sure you enjoy the work that goes into pursuing a goal. The work is the only thing that’s guaranteed.