Are you all about the journey or the destination?
 

I've always known I'm all about the destination. Moving relentlessly towards the goal, most assuredly missing some of the joys and rewards of the journey. (But I had a job to do!)

Now that I've retired, and the goals seem to be less defined or not as restrictive, retraining the synapses to slow down a little and seize the moment isn't that easy, but the rewards are plentiful. As an example, I found a little waterfall on a hike today that I've just walked by dozens of times in the past, because taking the spur trail wasn't part of the plan that I had set out to accomplish.

So, what's your makeup? Have you always put more emphasis on the journey, even if it means you might miss the goal? Or is the mission to reach the end, and then move on to the next task?

It probably depends upon the journey and the destination. I probably tend more towards destination, but there are times when the journey is also a goal.

If I was buying a car that was a classic or a sports car or something, I'd want the thing to mostly be 100% without needing a lot of work. I'd get more enjoyment out of driving than working on it.

I enjoy woodworking, and in that case it'll mostly be the journey vs the destination.

"The journey is the prize" .... from an old favorite band of mine :). Not since college have I really had goals... then it was always about making straight "A"s while getting my Comp. Science degree and having a freakin' ball at the same time. Not too far into my corporate IT career, I decided retiring at 50 was a goal ... didn't make that one.... got tired of that journey so at 48 I quit.

"Just livin' my life.... easy come, easy go..." - Jerry Jeff Walker

No regrets for the most part....

The journey...we all know what the final destination is. DUH!

The great gig in the sky?

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I’m guilty. It’s always been the destination.

It depends on the situation.

If there is a goal to be accomplished, then it is the destination.

If there isn't a goal to be achieved, then it is about the journey.

As a rule of thumb, I do not take the same route twice in a row.

This takes me back to Charles Couralt on Sunday Mornings when he did the segment in a motorhome. He had a line "you never know what's right around the bend." Whenever I am driving down some garden-variety highway, I think of that saying and can't help but wonder what's on the other side of that tree line?

Always been destination oriented - but also try to sneak in 'stop and smell the flowers' time.

Today I messed up.

I was at Walmart picking up provisions for Mom and wanted to go through the garden department real quick. Just to see what they have. I always do that but today blew it off because I had a lot of things to get done by afternoon.

Man that sucked. I went all the way down the aisle and was only about 30' away.

Decisions like that are always a challenge.

Even when one is semi-retired - or retired - time is the one currency that cannot be purchased....

Sometimes, for me at least the goal is the journey itself.

my journey is simply a bunch of destinations strung together.

Destination. Everything about my life has been about delayed gratification. I'm not saying that's right/better/etc. Just the way my life has gone.

Painfully destination oriented.

(What happened to ALL those years?)

Happily achieve instead of achieve to be happy as they say.

This is not a cop out, but you need to do both.

You need goals and direction, and you need to force yourself to stop and enjoy the moments.

Here's a example. I put on this pumpkin patch every year. Look at all of these customers' photos: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/planetpumpkin/

I am not good at it, but I have made it a point to stop and take it all in. It's all amazing really, and a lot of hard work and risk.

Every season after Christmas trees, I take all of the ride carnies to dinner and buy them all a room at the casino, which they really enjoy and look forward to all year long:

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Life is a journey, not a destination

It is better to travel than to arrive.

I read a poem by Constance Kavafy entitled "Ithaca" - which has had an impact on my life,

https://www.greeka.com/ionian/ithaca/about/poem/

Thanks for posting that. I had not heard of the poem before.

Concerning the OP, I honestly don't know: Sometimes the destination was critical, often the journey the only reason for the first step.

At one point I was commuting 50 miles through Seattle traffic to be at my desk by 5:00am, and was still there well past 5:00pm. I had horse blinds on. I would not have noticed a naked man with his hair on fire. I knew I had to make some changes in order to have any life at all. Today, I can hear the birds singing. In June, I will retire. Looking forward to that.

In my own experience, destinations have tended to be (or at least feel) somewhat elusive. But the longer I live...as long as I am able to stay curious, keep exploring with an open mind, and try not to be too judgmental, I do feel I've come to cherish the journey's embrace...it being a two way street.

Then again, maybe the whole idea of "the destination" is actually more about what happens to us when we stop breathing.

Depends what you mean.

In travel, it's the destination. I hate traveling (although high speed trains are pretty cool!), but I love sitting on a beach or mountain or park or pool or lake or a unique bar/restaurant or some other place I've never been. The longer I'm at the destination, the more relaxed I become until finally I'm sad when I leave.

In cars or cycling or other hobbies, it's the journey. I love the new part install or repair but once I'm done I usually wonder if the change really made that big a difference. And then I do it again with the same result.