Destination

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In the first stage of our life we are preoccupied with the concept of destinations. I need to get that promotion. I need to get that degree to get that promotion. This neighborhood offers the best schools for my kids. These degrees and colleges offer my kids the best chance for professional success. I need to attend this event because the “important” people to my career will be there. You get the drift. All these decisions are wrapped in a vision of what constitutes success, which more frequently than not is defined by people and institutions external to us. Nevertheless, the focal issue for this post is that these decisions, and our success in answering them, are defined by a specific place, a destination.

As we venture into the next stage of our life, we are surprised by the revelation that the process for making decisions in our first stage of life has little utility in our second stage. Leider and Shapiro comment in their book “Claiming Your Place At The Fire” our second stage in life is like a blank sheet of paper or canvas. In this stage, we can write an entirely new life story or paint a new picture depicting how we will live. This is a more introspective journey as compared to the external orientation of the first stage. This begs the question, what is the new destination?

For me, there is no new destination. This is a new journey, which if traveled correctly, will constantly unfold with new revelations and new opportunities. I once read that in the end, you are measured less by what you accomplish than what you’ve started. You may disagree with this opinion, but it speaks to me. I have no idea where I am going, but the journey by itself is what’s most important. Constantly trying new things, reading diverse topics, and holding an ongoing internal conversation create the opportunity to discover things I never knew about myself. Maybe along this journey I’ll discover new passions and my purpose. So, I’m working on this blank canvas. I better have a large trash can. Something tells me I’m going to have many drafts before I have a picture that takes my breath away, literally. There is no destination.

#Destination