Many of us have goals in life, and the journey of achieving goals is a long journey. We cannot suddenly lose our weight in 1 week or get a seat in our dream college in a few days. Goals need time, effort, and patience. Pursuing goals is a long-term affair that can take some months or even years. On this journey of achieving our goals, it is common to work hard, feel disheartened, worry about the end result, etc. But we should remember that enjoying the journey is as important as achieving our goals.
If we don’t enjoy our journey of pursuing our goals, we get stressed about our goals and miss the fun and joy of achieving our goals. Yes, we will achieve our goals even without enjoying our journey, but what good is it to achieve our goals while being stressed and suffering the entire journey? It does not make sense to achieve our goals with suffering.
We pursue any goals to become happier in life. Be it weight loss or promotion or a new job, our main reasons for pursuing these goals is happiness in life. So, it is important to enjoy our journey as well because the journey is longer than the actual goal itself.
So, how to enjoy this journey? Below are some pointers that help us enjoy our journey of achieving goals.
10 ways to enjoy the journey of achieving goals:
1. Fall in love: Love your goals and fall in love with them. When you fall in love, your hard work and setbacks don’t matter to you. Your love and passion for your goals excite you on the journey and helps you travel even when situations don’t look positive. Your goal looks bigger than your setbacks. When you love your goals, you feel excited about pursuing your goals and experience the joy of living.
2. Be relaxed: Have a relaxed state of mind while pursuing your goals. Pursue your goals with the right processes and methods. When you do the right things, you are bound to achieve the right results. So, having a great strategy in place to achieve your goals helps you stay relaxed. When you are relaxed, you enjoy the journey and achieve your goals effortlessly. You can also practice regular meditation to relax your mind. A relaxed mind can also concentrate better.
3. Be consistent: Take a few steps every day towards your goal. Be consistent in your approach. What you do every day and regularly makes a great difference to the way you achieve your goals. Reading every day, some portion of your syllabus is easier than studying the entire book one night before the exam. So, be consistent and regular while pursuing your goals. This makes your journey of achieving goals easier and enjoyable.
4. Be adaptable: We start our journey with some plan in place, but as we go forward, we might come across some setbacks or unexpected circumstances. Instead of quitting our journey in the face of these setbacks, see how you can adapt yourself to the new circumstances. Being adaptable helps greatly in pursuing your goals. Explore new ways when you experience dead ends. There will always be a way if you are determined to find it.
5. Find meaning: Understand the purpose and meaning behind your goals. Understand why your goals are important to you and write down these reasons. When you have this understanding of your goals, the journey makes sense to you, and it becomes worthwhile. When you understand your purpose of pursuing your goals, you stay strong in the face of obstacles. Your journey also becomes enjoyable with meaning and purpose.
6. Maintain a gratitude journal: Gratitude makes any journey enjoyable. When you are grateful for the already present blessings in your life, you attract new blessings into your life. This is the law of nature. So, have a gratitude journal and write down every day at least three things you are grateful for. Spend some time every day feeling grateful for the many blessings present in your life. Gratitude brings you joy.
7. Celebrate little successes: While pursuing your goals, don’t miss out on celebrating small milestones you reach or little successes on the journey. Acknowledging and celebrating these little things will give you encouragement to work harder. Celebrations bring joy. Don’t wait for the big moment to celebrate. Celebrate all the little moments and reward yourself. Cherish these small moments of success.
8. Have a company: Collaborate with like-minded people who also share the same goals as you and be in their company. Having a company makes the process more enjoyable and fun. It also brings more new ideas to the table. Like-Minded people also inspire you when you are down and help you continue your journey. It’s a win-win partnership for all those involved in the collaboration.
9. Take a break: Regularly take a break from your goals and work. When you take a break, you allow your body and mind to rest and rejuvenate. You also give your mind a chance to think in a new direction and become creative. Taking occasional breaks is helpful on the long journey of achieving your goals.
10. Have a ‘me time’: every day, have a few minutes of ‘me time’ where you spend time with yourself and pursue hobbies close to your heart. Just a few minutes of this ‘me time’ makes a great difference to your day. Having this time rejuvenates your body, mind, and soul. This also boosts your creativity and brings tremendous joy. No matter how busy your life is, never forget your hobbies or things close to your heart.
These are the ten pointers that help you enjoy your journey while pursuing your goals. Remember that journey is as beautiful as the end goal. Happiness is the main reason why we pursue different goals in life. So, be also happy while you pursue your goal. Enjoy the process, challenges you encounter, and the end result. Enjoy everything, have fun, and make the most out of your life.
“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe
