Is the journey the means or the end?

Some say “Life’s a journey, enjoy the ride”. Others say “The end justifies the means”.

In the one, the journey is the focus; in the other, it is incidental to the end result.

Those who are high-performance, results oriented, driven people would more likely see the journey or process of getting to their results as a means to an end, a necessary evil, something to tick off the list of requirements to be successful.

The world needs high performance, Type-A people because they are the ones who get things done, who achieve results, who build business empires. These are people who have a fast-track career path, who climb the ladder of success.

Therein lies the rub. No doubt you will have heard the statement “Climbing the ladder of success”, and the somewhat cynical rejoinder, “Just make sure it’s leaning against the right building”. Although cynical, there is some truth in it.

There is every chance that you set yourself a goal of being “successful”. In your case success might be making directorship at age 30, floating a listed company, or having a net worth of $10 million by age 40.

There is nothing wrong with these goals in and of themselves. Indeed, they are noble goals worth pursuing.

The question is whether the building against which this ladder of success is leaning, is indeed the right building for you. In other words, what meaning or of what significance is it to you to achieve those goals?

It could happen that you hit your goals, but then, after the thrill has worn off, you ask yourself “Now what? I was so focused on achieving my goals that I never stopped to think about why I want to achieve them.”

The danger then is that, having achieved your goals, you still feel unfulfilled. You have put in the hours, possibly sacrificed your health, your relationships, especially those with your family , you could even be out of touch with your own heart.

You look around for some significance on the road that you travelled towards success to see what the journey was all about.

All you can see however, is the litter left strewn along the side of the road whilst you were charging towards success. Litter such as broken and empty relationships, irreparable health damage, delinquent children etc. There were no roadside picnics, stopping to enjoy the sights, happy snaps and treasured moments.

So, back to the question of the building that your ladder is leaning against. Do you have a clear why? Do you know why you want to retire at 40, why you want to build a Billion Dollar turnover company etc.? Is it to satisfy your ego, to satisfy the desire for power or control, to allay your fears? Or, is your motive to make the world a better place, to leave a legacy, to improve life for others etc.

Even with the right motive, is the journey the means to the end or the end itself?

Like with all things in life it is about balance. In a perfect world the journey would be both the means and the end. If you found your ladder was against the wrong building, it would be OK, as the journey made it worthwhile getting there anyway.

Realistically though, balance is a mid-point between two extremes, and to seek a static balance could be counterproductive to either achieving your goals or enjoying the journey. Nothing great is achieved without great focus and great effort, which will require "extreme" behaviour.

Balance, therefore, may require you to live at one end of the pendulum swing for a season, then at the other end for a season, and possibly at the mid-point for another season. Balance is about managing the extremes. The two extremes of the pendulum could be achievement and enjoyment, and the mid-point fulfillment, which combines both of the extremes.

The key here is to be aware of where you are at, where you want to be, and why you want to be there.

You can create a life plan that maps out your goals, and the seasons that you are likely to go through to achieve them. Some call this plan a "lifemix".

Continued awareness enables you to diagnose how you are doing relative to your goals, reflect on which season you are in, whether your activity in this season is serving your goals, whether change is needed, and if so, to action the change.

A closing thought.

There is a scripture which says “What would it benefit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul”.

True words indeed.