Day 1,025 – Finding Joy in the Journey – Monday – 8/24/2020
One of my greatest lessons.
One of my greatest lessons in my journey is the notion of “staying focused on my own mat.” So many times in life, I want to compare my journey, my success, my everything to someone else. Though life isn’t about comparison. Life is about showing up as the best you and the only way to do that is stay focused on your next step and not where someone else is on the path.
In our culture, there is so much messaging about becoming “the” best versus being “your” best. When we focus on becoming the best, we can find ourselves unfulfilled because of the things most important to us that we sacrificed – our relationships, our health, our sanity. Instead if we focus on being our best, the focus becomes more inclusive of all things that are important to us.
This concept took me years to learn and even to this day, I need a reminder. When I am focused on being “my” best versus being “the” best I realize the importance of self-care, self-love, taking time off and loving others for where they are on their own mat/journey.
About “Finding Joy”
And I’m off…. the 16-day adventure begins. The timing of this trip is interesting so I’m naming it “Finding Joy in the Journey.” I’ll be doing one dedicated post each day (at the end of the day or next morning). Since I typically post more than once a day, you’ll find it as a black and white photo. I’ll share the joy of the journey (on the trip or through this season), where I’m finding it and what I’m learning. I hope to inspire myself along the way. And if I can inspire others too, that would be a gift. So let the journey begin…
It was November 2017 and I was ready to head off on a sixteen-day trip. Nine days before leaving, my mom unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. It shook me to my core. I had always been told the 40’s are the best years of your life. And in a matter of three years, since turning the age of 40, I had gone through a divorce and lost both parents.
I contemplated canceling the trip though I knew my mom would not be happy with that decision. She would want me to continue living my life. My parents did not raise me to sit back and watch life; instead to fully participate in every moment. So I promised my parents to find joy in the journey everyday on my sixteen-day trip and share my experience with others.
Little did I know what “Finding the Joy in the Journey” would turn into when I acted on the prompting to share my experience on a daily basis. It helped me see life differently and my wish is that it will inspire others find joy in their journey.
