It’s Not the Destination, but the Journey That Matters

You may have read this famous quote of Ralph Waldo Emerson “It’s the not the Destination, It’s the journey.”

Or of TS Eliot “The journey, not the destination matters…”

I first came across such a quote while watching a movie Peaceful Warrior based on the book of same name by Dan Millman in which the central character says “The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination.”

This made me come to a conclusion that it is important to enjoy the journey. Which makes lot of sense as it is the journey where we spend most of our time. Destination is like a dot at end of the line where as journey is the line itself.

But there was an important point, I failed to understand at that time.

Any Guess, what it was?

It took me many more years to realize that destination is as much important as journey.

As it is our destination which decides, in which direction we will move and what kind of experiences we will have in our journey.

We need to choose our destination carefully so that we can have a worth while journey.

In the end I would like to leave you with a quote by Tal Ben-Shahar “Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak.”  

Thank you, I am looking forward to read your views on the topic.

Jai Shree Hari.