The Joy is in the Journey

I was watching a show on OWN a few months ago – it profiled Simon Cowell and his path to stardom and television success. 

And there was a line from the famous American Idol (and now X-Factor) judge that stuck with me. 

Cowell was discussing that for of all of the successes, millions, and endeavors that he has achieved, nothing rivaled the journey and struggle that occurred when American Idol was green-lighted and he and the producers faced the task of making it a hit show.  

His point? 

Getting there is the adventure. The joy is in the journey. 

I think that is an important concept to remember in our world, especially in the society that we live in.

Because everywhere around us, people are fretting over retirement, debt, and a fear of losing everything that they have spent a lifetime gaining. There seems to be this mentality that if we live our lives right, we will one day be able to sit back and say: well, I'm at a stopping point. Good job I'm done. 

It's not that things like investment aren’t worthwhile – it’s just that there is something off with a world that encourages people to spend their entire lives worrying that if they make a mistake, the last few years of their lives will lack some standard of comfort or stability. 

I think it is a trapping of our modern society; the idea itself overlooks the fact that so much can change. It is naïve to ignore that much of our future can’t be predicted. And I think that this train of thought pulls our thoughts away from the present.

But, this isn’t a call to be spontaneous or to live on the edge.

I just want to encourage you to remember this: 

The joy is in the journey - the moments, decisions, and interactions that are happening to you right now. Those are the ones to invest in, to find  happiness in, and to cherish. 

Because even as the journey of the present builds our future, the future will always be fluid – and require us to adjust and adapt to things daily.  

And we owe it to ourselves to remember that there is no stopping point in living – you didn’t graduate high school and stop – you won’t graduate college and stop – you won’t get a job and stop – and you won’t retire and stop. 

Instead – you will find joy in each of those accomplishments, appreciating the obstacles and triumphs along the way, and continue to invest in and build yourself up as you go, helping others along the way.

So keep this in mind in your college journey – you aren’t working your way to some stopping point – you are building – you are getting there.

And getting there is where the joy is.