Most of us work towards obtaining an objective or reaching a goal. Recently, I’ve talked with a couple of people, each who enjoy the road more than the endpoint or destination. Becky is a horse trainer. Steve is an artist. To them, the end is not the point.
I asked Becky what part of training horses she most enjoys. She answered that it is the preparation, the process of getting the horses ready for a show. "It isn’t so much the final performance. It is the order of things, making sure that all steps were followed in their order and that you get the desired result."
Steve has painted over 5,000 pieces. He sits in coffee shops and paints away. He doesn’t keep any of his work. Instead, he gives the water paintings to those around him, be it stranger, coffee shop friend, or acquaintance. I asked Steve if he has a favorite piece, perhaps one so great that he chose to keep it for himself. Steve responded with a gentle, yet firm No. “If I said this is my greatest piece, then I would stop the process of creating. I enjoy the process of painting something. I become an observer and watch it take form. And if someone finds joy in it, then that’s great.”
In the same conversation, I asked Steve if when he sits to paint, does he start with an idea? Is it a lingering thought of something that inspires him? Or is it the first colors that fall onto the canvass that give life to the rest of the painting? Steve said, “No, it just starts.”
You’re likely familiar with the phrase, “The end justifies the means”. The means being the road. Perhaps a good roadmap, to help navigate the terrain, is one that teaches us that the start and the middle also matter. It’s not always the achievement, the prize, the culmination that matter most. Sometimes deciding on which road to take, when to take it, how to take it, and who and what to bring along, matter just as much…if not more.
Keep your eye on the prize. Yes. But also, keep your eyes on the road, so that the bumps don’t detour your authentic intention.
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