{advice and articles | "life's a journey not a destination."

"Life's a journey not a destination."- Ralph Waldo Emerson. I remember admiring this quote as a young woman needing that little bit of inspiration to get her through her final year of high-school. I admired the quote so much that it, along with others, were blu-tacked to the wall above my desk. Till this day, I believe in the quote and what it means to say but it was not until recently that I have been able to add greater value to its meaning. Back then, I saw it in all of it's simplicity: that life is so much more about reaching a certain point or place but about discovering, learning, growing, exploring and unraveling.

I appreciated this sentiment in terms of my desire for success. I saw it as "success is a journey not a destination." I then thought to myself that in this case, in that specific state of mind, reaching that state of success wasn't necessarily about getting to exactly where I pictured in my head I wanted to be, it was about the path that could potentially lead me there. It was about knowing in my heart that I tried as hard as I could and that the "journey" that is spoken of will forever carry with it struggles but that's what in itself makes it a journey. I realised that the journey is far more important than the destination for what it entails is a greater appreciation for life, the right to feel human emotions, a richer understanding of life, a clearer idea of who we are or who we want to be and nothing but experiences that are well and truly eye-openers.

Therefore, life is about still keeping in mind where we are going and where we want to be all the meanwhile not being disheartened if it's taking us too long to get there or if we never do. Perhaps the craziness of life may take us elsewhere and so long as we are happy, there's no complaining. Life is a constant means of discovery; discovery of the self, others and our lives. Therefore don't be too hard on yourself if you feel like you're endlessly changing your mind of where you want to be, what you want to do, what you want, who you want to be and so on. That's life. Nothing ever stays the same.

Embark upon a journey instead of setting yourself too many expectations, standards and boundaries.


Lately, and in fact not a mere few hours ago, I broadened my meaning of Emerson's quote or more so just the idea of life having to have for all of us a set destination; a place we wanted or needed to be at. There's this idea that we, or perhaps most of us, are traveling towards something in our lives. It's a dream, a goal, a lifestyle, a career, a relationship and/or something of great desire. What I've come to realise is that while perhaps the journey is far more important than the destination, even if the destination is never reached but instead your life is richer and indeed lived-, we need to (and I mention this in {advice and articles | R.I.P}) stop constantly creating an end point for ourselves. What I mean by this is the overwhelming pressure to tell ourselves that we need or want something and giving ourselves a time frame of when we need to get there or get it. The beauty of life is the unexpectedness of it all.

Now, I'm not suggesting to live a life that's not ambitious or to stop setting goals for ourselves. What I mean is that we can't make the most of life and appreciate every moment if we are too consumed and stressed about reaching a certain point in our lives. We need to stop seeing life as having to pass from one point to another or having to be constantly be filled with happiness and nothing but pleasant, satisfactory moments. It's admirable to have direction and dreams in life but we can't let it overpower us and prevent us from living, taking risks, traveling, loving, laughing, exploring, finding our ways out of our comfort zones and so much more that this beautiful life of ours has the potential to experience. We need to stop stressing sometimes and learn to enjoy and appreciate the simple things in life. Enjoy the journey whilst on the road to the destination or even if you never make it there.

Take everyday as it comes. Don't be too hard on yourself if you feel so far away from where you want to be or whatever it is that your heart desires. Have faith in yourself and which path you're leading yourself towards. Sometimes you'll make mistakes and you may have to change routes but that's life, no-one gets it right, ever. And that's why it's a journey. We are all on a journey; the most powerful being that of self-discovery and absolute exploration of life and all it has to offer. Therefore, don't ever be too hard on yourself if you don't reach your destination. Don't perceive life as having to take you from one starting point to a finish line. Instead, see every single moment as a pure experience.

Happy living my beauties.