Friday, May 3, 1996

The journey is the reward

Give two children a room full of toys and they’ll soon be fighting over them. Give them a room full of nothing, and they’ll soon be cooperating and inventing games to play together.

The high-tech startup company is an exciting place to work. They can barely make the payroll each week, and most of the employees take stock options in lieu of a higher salary. Still, everyone gives it their all, working as a team to get the company established. Then the products begin to succeed in the marketplace. A public offering brings in cash and makes everyone a millionaire. The partners start quarreling. It seems like everyone is getting a divorce. Employees update their resumes. Once the money starts to flow, everything seems to fall apart.

"Be careful what you ask for,” the saying goes, “because you might just get it."

Why is it that, so often, when we get what we’re after it seems so empty? Because we fail to realize that the journey is the reward. Goals and aspirations are important because of what you become in getting there. Once the goal is reached, it has little value and it’s time to set a new goal. Life is a continuous growth process. If you’re not growing, you’re not living.

— Ralph Marston

Turning Lemons into Lemonade Concentration next

Copyright ©1996 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.