Life is not a race, but often we find ourselves rushing to reach the destination. We forget to enjoy the process, the journey.
Life is not a race said the monk from the East
The western way of thinking can often encompass self dedication to a goal. The quicker we accomplish the goal the more triumphant we are. The first one at the finish line is the winner mentality.
The only problem is that striving for future glory often leads us to forget the present.
The monk from the east knows life is not about the destination but the path that leads to that destination.
“There is no path to Happiness: Happiness is the path”
Gautama Buddha
Quit striving for future happiness
Sometimes we reach a goal only to realise we are not as satisfied as we were hoping to be. We then decide satisfaction will come in some other future accomplishment so we rush to get there.
We forget life is not a race. We forget to enjoy the ride.
“A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step”
Lao Tzu
A journey of a thousand miles also takes a millions of steps to complete. Life is not a race. We should be patient and take pleasure in each of the individual steps along the way.
Forget other people’s timeframe
Many times other people have plans for us. Society has a plan for us. What about our plans for ourselves?
In western society there is this generic ideal lifestyle which entails completing school and college. Grraduating university. Finally its out into the world to get a full time job. If you are lucky you may even get a gap year in there somewhere.
We then need to buy a car. Find a mortgage on a house. Give birth to 2.2 children and perhaps adopt a Labrador 😉 That should take us until retirement. Maybe we will upgrade the house and the car a few times during this period. Hopefully even squeeze in a few holidays.
There is an unspoken time frame we are expected to achieve all of this. If we do not fall within this timeframe we can often feel we are falling behind.
We forget life is not a race! If you want these things great. Have them, but at least enjoy the process. Don’t feel you need to have them within a set time frame.
Blaze your own trail
They call us the peter pan generation because we refuse to grow up. Perhaps for some of us at least it is not that we refuse to grow up, but rather we refuse to rush into a life that doesn’t align with our own values.
A generation that places more value on experiences and connections with others is an evolutionary step forward compared to one that places its values on ownership of material trivialities.
The planet doesn’t need more people buying into the consumerist culture. It needs rewilding. It needs rewilders.
You don’t need to follow the path laid out for you by society. You can rebel and carve your trail!
Take your time like a tribesman!
When carving that trail we need to remember that life is not a race. Whatever it is we are doing, whether we are working towards short or long term goals we need to remember there is no rush.
We can often get so distracted by the goal that the process becomes arbitrary.
The tribesman does not hurry. He knows life is not a race. He relaxes into the moment. He focuses on one task at a time. He enjoys his journey.
It could be argued that our own mortality is a reason to rush. This is false belief as when we rush our own mortality becomes even more prevalent. The years pass swiftly for those of us always pacing towards the future.
Nature does not rush!
“Nature doesn’t hurry yet everything is accomplished”
Lao Tzu
The process of a sapling becoming a tree is not a rush. The tribesman does not rush to reach the next day or the next year. There is serenity in allowing events to unfold organically.
We can still move towards lifestyles we want for ourselves, but the end of road shouldn’t be the sole reason in doing so.
Watching our breathing and other forms of meditation are great ways to centre ourselves which helps us to experience the present moment fully.
We need to remember time is the only component we can’t get back. Life is not a race.
A wild life is one that takes pleasure in the journey.
