Choose to Take the Journey

Most people operate in 1 of 2 modes their entire lives. The first is to be results-oriented. In this mode, people impatiently pine for quick rewards. Some give up as soon as the going gets tough; we call those quitters. Others stress and obsess in short bursts of activity, hoping to god that they figure it out before their willpower runs dry; we call those strivers. Those with a results orientation often lack inner peace because no matter what they have achieved, they never feel like they are enough.

The second is to be comfort-oriented. In this mode, people dispassionately live in routine. Some mechanically hammer away at it without an eye for the future; we call those grinders. Others accept whatever job, partner, or circumstances come their way; we call those settlers. Those with a comfort orientation get upset easily whenever anyone messes with the perfect little world that they’ve created. They seem patient, but only because they are complacent.

If you keep grasping for the future, you will never find peace. If you keep hanging onto the present, you will never find fulfillment. So what if you want to live in the present and get a ton of results?

There is one other option: be progress-oriented. In this mode, you grow continuously and endlessly. You find peace by taking action and fulfillment through an expansion in your ability to take action. We call this: one who seeks mastery. You enjoy the person you’re becoming as you walk your chosen path, but you also measure your progress from time to time. You check your compass to make sure you’re heading in the right direction, but you also let go of any impulse to arrive at the destination.

One who seeks mastery does not ask, “When will I get there?” He knows that the journey has no end.

One who seeks mastery does not ask, “Why should I bother trying to change?” He knows that happiness comes from growth.

Instead, he asks himself: “What can I do today that I couldn’t do yesterday?”

He is grateful for the step he has just taken, and therefore has no trouble taking another one. He does not have to push himself toward the future, because he is pulled into it by a compelling vision of progress.