There are two kinds of people on a road trip. One stops every couple of hours, takes in the scenery, and enjoys the ride. The other does everything in their power to get there as fast as possible without ever stopping.
Neither is wrong. But the second group can fall into what researchers call destination addiction.
Destination addiction is getting so locked in on where you're going that you stop experiencing where you are. And here's the part that stings: people with destination addiction don't even enjoy the destination when they finally arrive. They're too busy measuring reality against the expectation they built up in their head.
But before you congratulate yourself for being a journey person, there's another end to this seesaw.
Journey addiction is the opposite problem. No urgency, no drive, no real goals worth pursuing. Just wandering. It feels peaceful until you look up and realize you haven't actually gotten anywhere.
The answer isn't to pick a side. It's to keep a foot on both.
You need a destination, a goal worth pursuing, something that pulls you forward. But you also need to keep one foot firmly on the journey side, because if you don't learn to enjoy the process of getting there, you won't enjoy it when you arrive either.
The question worth asking today: which side of the seesaw are you leaning on too hard?
If you don't learn to enjoy the journey, you won't enjoy the destination when you arrive.
P.S. The Optimistic Outlook is a Podcast! Leaving a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts would mean a lot.
Use Your Gifts,
John Eades
Creator, The Leadership Lens & The Optimistic Outlook