the monk from harvard

The importance of enjoying the overall journey should never be underestimated

“Dev, let me tell you a story that a friend of mine once told me. In India, lots of people go on pilgrimages; one such place is in the beautiful northern area of Jammu. Pilgrims hike for about twelve kilometers up in the mountains to reach The Goddess Vaishno Devi’s temple to offer their prayers. It takes about six to eight hours for a reasonably fit person to complete the hike. My friend went on this pilgrimage in his teens, along with his family, which included a cousin of the same age. 
“At the start of the hike, my friend and his cousin decided to race up the mountains to reach the top before anyone else in the family. They raced ahead of everyone, and reached the Shrine in about five hours, huffing and panting. The rest of the family was nowhere to be seen. With no hope of seeing them anytime soon, both my friend and his cousin, exhausted from the sprint, and bored waiting for the others, dozed off on nearby benches. Once they awakened, it was only after waiting for another hour that they started seeing familiar faces. They joined the group for light snacks in a restaurant nearby.
“During the chat at the restaurant, my friend and his cousin realized their mistake in sprinting to the top, because all they had to say about their journey was that they had reached the top first. Everyone else in the family, by contrast, had many stories to share. One family member talked about the beauty of the mountains, some picturesque spots along the way, and the fragrance that came off the wildflowers on certain bushes that were unique to the hills. Another mentioned the wonderful family they had chatted with along the way, snapshots taken with the locals, delicious local savories, and bonding with other family members. Most of all, no one really felt the exertion of the hike. In fact, everyone was up for hiking further, if possible.
“Having missed so much fun along the journey, my friend and his cousin were really disappointed. It was quite a bit later in their lives that they realized that because they had been disappointed by their experience, they had become reluctant to go on a similar expedition thereafter. 
“The same thing happens in our lives: if we just keep focusing on the outcome and skip enjoying the process of getting there, we lose motivation to meet challenges that come along the way. We don’t have any joyful memories, stories, or experiences to share or learn from, whereas others who take time to enjoy the process have so much more to cherish. They don’t avoid taking up new challenges, since they have the confidence of having both conquered and enjoyed them before.