Is Success a Journey Or a Destination? [The Ultimate Answer]

Is success a Journey Or a Destination?

You've been thinking about this moment for the longest time possible.

For the last 4 years, you've been working, nonstop.

You've sacrificed a lot to get here - you've sacrificed your hobbies, you've sacrificed some sleep, some sanity, immediate gratification, all for this moment here.

You've tried different things, you've failed at a lot of things, you've questioned yourself and your abilities many times, but you've finally pushed through.

You've spoken of this moment thousands of times before.

You've dreamed about how this will all play out, how it'll feel when you're finally here.

You've watched videos and speeches of others reaching this summit, hoping that you'll be able to be in their shoes and share your story one day.

Friends and family have all questioned you - what are you doing this for? Where is this crazy obsession going to take you?

The truth is, you never knew how to really answer that question.

You know what you want, but you've been so unsure if you're going to get it or not.

The answer?

Well, it's right in front of you now, staring you in the face.

You've finally made it to exactly where you want to be, you feel like you're on top of the world.

Every ounce of your body is in disbelief, quenching in fear, in happiness, in shock, you just don't know how to feel.

What is this moment?

Every single one of us has 'that moment.'

We all have a goal, a 'cheese' as Dr. Spencer Johnson calls it in his book, 'Who Moved My Cheese.'

For some, that goal might be to make a ton of money, I know it was for me and still sort of is.

For others, it might be having a family, a high-paying stable job.

Whatever your 'big goal' is, you've wanted it for the longest time.

You've been at it for years, waiting for a hint, a breakthrough to finally occur.

You've been waiting for the moment where you can finally say, 'I did it!'

However, let's take a moment and think for a second.

What if, we get there all of a sudden.

What if we're finally there, just about to grasp the one thing we've wanted for years and years.

The house, the million-dollar paycheck, the family - what if we just imagine ourselves about to claim that 'one thing' right now?

How does it feel?

Exciting, scary... worrying, maybe?

Now what if we do finally grasp it - all of those feelings are immediately washed away with satisfaction and fulfillment.

You've finally done it!

You've achieved the one thing you've wanted to achieve.

It feels like you've fulfilled your ultimate purpose.

Now here is where the problem lies.

What if this was not the end? If this was not your ultimate purpose?

What happens after?

What comes next in your story?

This can't be the end, can it?

You don't just get the paycheck, you don't just get the car, the house, the family, the restaurant you've always wanted to own, and that's it.

There's always more after, right?

All of a sudden, you realise that maybe all along, you've seen this goal as a destination to reach, but what now?

After we've arrived at our destination, what do we do?

You know, I've heard countless success stories of people who have finally gotten it all - they've finally achieved all that they've wanted to achieve and now they're stuck.

They are unsure what to do next.

Why?

They've planned every possible scenario up till this moment like they're Dr. Strange, but they failed to plan ahead of it.

They failed to plan for what comes next.

Now that they've got the money, they got the family, they got the house, or whatever it is they've wanted, they don't know what comes next.

I really started to write this article with the hope of sparking an argument somewhere in between.

"Is success a journey or a destination? You tell me in the comments!"

However, as I'm letting my words unfold onto this canvas, I'm slowly realising that there is not much of an argument here.

Sometimes we're so hell-bent on finally reaching a singular goal that we get a slight sense of depression once we finally get it.

We've planned for the grand moment, but not for what comes after and so once we're there, we wonder, "well, what's next?"

Success is a journey

By now, we should understand that success is more of a journey than anything else.

It's not a point in time you reach and then, that's it.

It's not a single goal, a moment where something incredible happens.

We can't spend years and years of our lives planning for a single moment in time, it's simply not worth it.

Once you've finally got the money you've always wanted, what comes next?

You might have spoken about it before - "when I'm rich, I'm going to..."

But now that you're finally here, does it really feel how you expected it to feel?

Does it all seem like how you wanted it to seem?

Does the world look any different?

Are you now somehow in the realm of Narnia?

Or are you still in the same, old spot you used to be?

This is not an article to discourage you from wanting to be successful, success is the least you should aim to have, but the purpose of this article is to make you think.

It's a scary feeling not knowing what comes next, playing your life on autopilot waiting for something to happen.

The reality is that 90% of entrepreneurs, matter of fact, 90% of people treat success as a destination.

Once they're successful, they can finally do this, or they can finally do that.

See success is not a destination because there is always something that will come after that one, 'big' goal.

There is always more to the story than what we truly think.

Success isn't just about 'the moment' where you're rich, or where you've got the family, the house, etc.

Success is about your own self-development too, who do you become in the process of your pursuit and after it too?

You will never stop developing, you will never stop changing, thinking differently, and growing.

So maybe that's what success really is - becoming the best possible version of yourself, one who's happy, healthy, wealthy, and fulfilled?

What is success to you?

So what does success mean to you?

What does it look like, what does it feel like, who is with you at this moment, what have you done to obtain this success?

When I first leaped into business, I threw everything I knew out the window.

I had an education for 13+ years, I had a bunch more friends, I had hobbies - all of which are no longer a part of my journey.

I, along with many others, thought I was stupid to let all of this slip through my fingers.

I had so much potential to go to a good university, finish my education, and get a great job.

But that's simply not the path I foresee for myself, it's not what I wanted to spend my waking hours and my nights preparing for.

I wanted more.

At the time, all I really wanted was my own little definition of success.

I wanted a small, six-figure paycheck that would put food on the table for my family and me, and let us do whatever it is we really wanted to do.

What has changed since then? The financial goal has massively shifted, the overall goal has been adjusted, but for what reason?

I no longer just want the money, I want the life that those around me can have once I finally reach this level of success I've outlined.

Money is never the goal, it's something that money can provide you.

When you are only chasing the momentary value, you'll feel lost, especially once you finally reach that goal.

You've wanted all of this money for so long, but now that you have it, what do you really do with it?

What are you going to do with all the time you've now got, all the money you've collected?

It might seem like a 'problem you'll deal with once you're there,' but what if it isn't?

What if this problem will deal with you once you're there? What if you lose yourself in this problem before being able to see it through?

That's why it's important to set your success as the journey, not the destination.

Get clear on the fact that the money is not where the road ends, in fact, it's where it all begins for you.

Plan to the end

No matter what your goal is;

No matter what your definition of success is;

There will always be something that follows, something that we did not expect.

You may have heard of people talking about how 'success is in the process, not the result.'

After a 5, 10, or even 15-year long pilgrimage, people come out 100s of times better than they used to be.

When we first embark on our entrepreneurial journeys, or when we first set out to build the lives we want to build, we're only at the very start of who we could be.

Within the years following, we're going to go through various stages, challenges, and problems that will only test our grit and determination.

By the end of this road, we're going to be different, we're going to grow, and we're going to come out better than we ever thought we could.

We're going to come out ready for whatever awaits us on the other side of what we thought was the end of the road.

Maybe we know what that looks like, maybe we don't.

Maybe after you've got the money you've always wanted, you become a life-long philanthropist.

Maybe, you start your own little family, own your own house, and build a happy future together.

Whatever this looks like for you, you're able to plan for it.

So is success a journey or a destination?

Like I said, I was hoping to light a fire here and cause a little more controversy than I think I did.

It's hard to argue with the fact that success is indeed a journey.

Whether we plan for that entire journey or just the destination we perceive it to be is all up to us.

Did you find this article helpful? 

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Till next time,

Mohamad