enjoy the journey not destination

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“Happiness is a direction, not a place.” ~Sydney J Harris

Being happy is for most of us one of the key aims in life. But where we often go wrong is in figuring out which path to take to achieve that happiness.

My own path has been a somewhat unconventional one. In my last year at college, most of my peers were busy applying for full-time jobs with large companies, but I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do.  

I wanted to see the world, which (long before gap years became so common) was met with disapproval by many. But excited, and somewhat scared, I set off alone on my travels.

I didn’t return for good until over seven years later, traveling around the world twice over, working as an English teacher in Istanbul and Barcelona, as a fruit picker on a kibbutz in Israel, in a ski resort, on a campsite in France, and in a fairground in Australia.

I drove across the US, rode the Trans-Siberian railway across Asia, and took precarious bus journeys through the Himalayas and the Andes.

It was a fantastically exciting time and left me with some amazing memories that will last forever. I knew that by doing this I’d probably be sacrificing any chance of reaching the upper echelons of the corporate tree, but that didn’t hold any appeal to me anyway.

Of more concern was the pressure I felt from family, friends, and society to settle down and find a “proper” job. But I’m really glad that I resisted that pressure and didn’t stop traveling and working abroad until I’d seen and experienced all that I wanted to.

I felt that there was plenty of time to have a conventional job after my traveling days were over, and this has proved correct.

The traveling taught me so much about myself, and life, and made me think about what I wanted from this short time on earth. I realized that I wanted to acquire experiences rather than money, and in my subsequent career that is what I have done.

I’ve done a variety of jobs: I’ve been a musician, graphic designer, novelist, and journalist. Much of the time, these have been precarious freelance jobs and not well paid, but they’ve all been fantastically interesting and given me a wealth of life experience.

I always wanted to have no regrets with the way I spent my life, and so far I haven’t. I know that if I’d spent my whole life trying to climb the corporate ladder I wouldn’t have been happy and would now have been lamenting what I hadn’t done in my life.

I’ve always found it really important to enjoy each step of the journey that I’ve been on and not just hoping to be happier at some point later in my life.

The path I’ve chosen may not be for everyone, but it is an example of the importance of choosing your own path in life, and ignoring the pressure from family, friends, and society. 

I’ve seen how some people are pressured into certain jobs, often because they are considered prestigious, but hate the path they have chosen. Others may be pushed to get further up the career ladder, but then find out they hate the managerial responsibility that this generally brings.

People also often think that when they have more material goods or money they will be happier . But while it may be hard to be happy in the western world with no money (although some people achieve it) making lots of money and buying lots of things may not necessarily make you content.

Buying a new car or yacht is often only a short-term happiness boost and it seems that after a while, each upgrade to the car, house, or yacht gives less and less extra happiness.

Surveys have shown again and again that once people reach a certain wage—around the average wage in western countries—happiness levels do not increase much.

With relationships, it’s also important to find the right path for ourselves, and to be as sure as we can that we have chosen the right partner. And when we’ve hopefully found them, it’s so important to enjoy each moment of that relationship, not always be looking to the future.

We might think that having children will make us happy, but then when we have them we realize all the responsibilities and difficulties that brings, and may look back on our days without children with fondness. Or if we have young children we might wish they were older, but then they become teenagers!

The common pattern in all this is choosing the right road for the type of person we are and finding happiness at as many places along that route as we can.

So it’s important to look at all the good things in our lives and to enjoy them to the full right now. That is much more likely to bring happiness than waiting for it to appear around the corner.

Photo by woodleywonderworks

About Alex Lloyd

Alex is a writer and life coach. He writes regularly for websites including The Happy Hut , and is the author of the book How to be Happy .

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The journey is more important than the destination (quotes)

The journey is more important than the destination.

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. Lao Tzu
• A journey takes time. And the lessons we learn best, they come from the journey, not the destination. Jordan Dane
• An unanticipated destination, perhaps, but you must admit,all the best journeys take unexpected detours. Lisa Mangum
• Focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination. Chris Hadfield
• I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that this is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. Anna Quindlen
• It’s the journey, not the destination. I truly believe that. Jason Sudeikis
• It’s the not the Destination, It’s the journey. Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Roads were made for journeys not destinations. Confucius
• Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. Drake
• When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way. Wayne Dyer
• Sometimes it’s worth lingering on the journey for a while before getting to the destination. Richelle Mead
• That roads are for journeys, ma’am, not destinations. Margaret Landon
• The destination is more important than the journey
• The dream is not the destination but the journey. Diane Sawyer
• The experiences are so innumerable and varied, that the journey appears to be interminable and the Destination is ever out of sight. But the wonder of it is, when at last you reach your Destination you find that you had never travelled at all! It was a journey from here to Here. Meher Baba
• The journey has to feel the way you want the destination to feel. Danielle LaPorte
• The journey is the destination. Dan Eldon
• The journey is the destination. That’s what you have to tell people. Audie Cornish
• The journey, Not the destination matters. S. Eliot
• The journey, not the destination, becomes a source of wonder. Loreena McKennitt
• The journeythe journey, I promise you, is the greatest thing ever. The destination always takes care of itself. Ray Lewis
• The joy is in the journey, not the destination. We have a better chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else. John Bingham
• The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination. Marion Zimmer Bradley
• There is no difference in the destination, the only difference is in the journey. Hazrat Inayat Khan
• There’s no destination. The journey is all that there is, and it can be very, very joyful. Srikumar Rao
• To God, our journey is JUST as important as our destination! Beth Moore
• You don’t always need to know your destination when you set out on a journey. Carole Wilkinson
• The importance of a journey is not measured by the distance covered, but by the destination reached. Narendra Modi

Enjoy the journey as much as the destination

• Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Marshall Sylver
• Enjoy the journey, because the destination is a mirage. Steven Furtick
• That’s why it is important to enjoy the journey not just the destination. In this world, we will never arrive at a place where everything is perfect and we have no more challenges. As admirable as setting goals and reaching them maybe, you can’t get so focused on accomplishing your goals that you make the mistake of not enjoying where you are right now. Joel Osteen

Life is a journey, not a destination

• Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel. Jim Stovall
• Exercise is a journey, not a destination. It must be continued for the rest of your life. We do not stop exercising because we grow old – we grow old because we stop exercising. Kenneth H. Cooper
• Fitness is a journey, not a destination; you must continue for the rest of your life. Kenneth H. Cooper
• Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination. Brandon Sanderson
• Life is a journey, not a destination; there are no mistakes, just chances we’ve taken. India Arie
• Life is a journey, not a destination. Happiness is not there but here, not tomorrow but today. Sidney Greenberg
• Life is more about the journey than the destination. Mary Alice
• Life is not a destination; it’s a journey. It’s not a series of goals; it’s a series of steps, of events unfolding as you make your way. Life is not all about accomplishment; it’s all about doing, participating, progressing, growing, learning. Mike Hernacki
• Life is not a journey, it is a destination. Piero Scaruffi
• Life isn’t about the final destination or the accomplishments and accolades; it’s about the journey and the opportunities for learning—and how we grow as a result. Michael Eisen
• Life’s a journey, not a destination. Steven Tyler
• Now I’ve got that [life is a journey not a destination] tattooed on my arm because it just reminds me of that time, and I think it’s just an amazing quote. John Newman
• Remember, Life is a journey, not a destination. Bruce Lee
• The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination. Carl Rogers
• The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination. Don Williams
• The spiritual journey does not consist of arriving at a new destination where a person gains what he did not have, or becomes what he is not. It consists in the dissipation of one’s own ignorance concerning oneself and life, and the gradual growth of that understanding which begins the spiritual awakening. The finding of God is a coming to one’s self. Aldous Huxley
• Rather than the destination it is the journey that lends meaning to our lives, great Neelkanth. Being faithful to our path will lead to consequences, both good as well as bad. For that is the way of the universe. Amish Tripathi
• The future is a process, not a destination. Bruce Sterling

Happiness is a journey, not a destination

• Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak. Tal Ben-Shahar
• Find happiness by enjoying the journey, not by awaiting the destination. Peter Sheppard Skaerved
• Happiness is a mindset for your journey, not the result of your destination. Shawn Achor
• Happiness isn’t a destination; its a journey. Austin Carlile
• I’m somebody who considers happiness a journey, not a destination. Neil Gaiman
• The purpose is not the destination but the journey itself. Only those who understand this simple truth can experience true happiness. Amish Tripathi
• The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination. Dan Millman
• To me, ultimate happiness is a journey, not a destination. It’s not somewhere you end up, it’s making choices every day to make yourself happy. Lizzie Velasquez

Success is a journey, not a destination

• Remember, success is a journey not a destination. Have faith in your ability. You will do just fine. Bruce Lee
• Success and happiness are not destinations, they are exciting, never-ending journeys. Zig Ziglar
• Success for me isn’t a destination it’s a journey. Everybody’s working to get to the top but where is the top? It’s all about working harder and getting better and moving up and up. Rihanna
• Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination. Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Success is a journey, not a destination. It requires constant effort, vigilance and reevaluation. Mark Twain
• Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome. Arthur Ashe
• Success is every minute you live. It’s the process of living. It’s stopping for the moments of beauty, of pleasure; the moments of peace. Success is not a destination that you ever reach. Success is the quality of the journey. Jennifer James
• Success is not a destination that you ever reach. Success is the quality of your journey. Jennifer James
• Success is not a destination: It is a journey. The happiest people I know are those who are busy working toward specific objectives. The most bored and miserable people I know are those who are drifting along with no worthwhile objectives in mind. Zig Ziglar
• Success is not in reaching the destination, but in making the journey. Bruce Lee
• The journey is the destination. The process you’re in is the goal. Success is never defined by the outcome but by the process. Paul Young
• And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived. Brandon Sanderson

Writing is a journey, not a destination

• Writing isn’t about the destination-writing is the journey that transforms the soul and gives meaning to all else. Sue Grafton

Transformation is a journey, not a destination

• Transformation is a journey without a final destination. Marilyn Ferguson
• Change comes more from managing the journey than from announcing the destination. William Bridges
• Christlikeness is a journey, not a destination. The joy is in the journey. Charles R. Swindoll
• Reaching your potential is a disciplined process. Like losing weight or getting in shape – there is no final destination and it requires you to dust off atrophied muscles. You have to work at it. If you do, I think you will dramatically improve your leadership. Robert S. Kaplan
• Reformation, like education, is a journey, not a destination. Mother Jones

Creativity is a journey, not a destination

• The creative process is not like a situation where you get struck by a single lightning bolt. You have ongoing discoveries, and theres ongoing creative revelations. Yes, its really helpful to be marching toward a specific destination, but, along the way, you must allow yourself room for your ideas to blossom, take root, and grow. Carlton Cuse

Character is a journey, not a destination

• Character is a journey, not a destination. William J. Clinton

Excellence is a journey, not a destination

• Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends. Brian Tracy
• Perfection is not a destination; it’s a never-ending process…Enjoy! Jim Bouchard

Truth is a journey, not a destination

• Knowledge is a destination. Truth, the journey. Terry Goodkind
• Science is an intellectual journey, and to me, it’s not the destination, it’s the journeyto get there. It’s a way of thinking and it’s an intellectual curiosity, a desire to know how the world works, and to know what the fundamental principles of the world are, and to know our place in it. I think once we stop asking questions like what is the age of the universe, or how are the instructions of DNA carried out on a microscopic level, once we stop asking questions like that, we’re dead. Alan Lightman
• Discovery is the journey; insight is the destination. Gary Hamel
• One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. Henry Miller

Love is a journey, not a destination

• Love is a journey, not a destination. Ramon Bautista

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Why happiness is a journey, not a destination (and 5 ways to enjoy the ride)

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Instead of striving for happiness through end goals or objects, try cultivating day-to-day well-being. Because, as Calvin Holbrook  explains, science shows that happiness really is a journey and not a destination.

'Happiness is a journey, not a destination’ is an often-heard saying, and many people would argue that the search for well-being is the greatest motivator of all humankind. But does this motto really hold true? And what does science have to say on the subject?  

The expression suggests that humans shouldn’t believe that reaching a certain life goal will award them with happiness. The destination in question could be one of numerous end-points we're often striving for in life: that dream job, buying a first home, meeting the perfect partner, or snagging that huge pay rise you've been working so hard for.   

RELATED:  Money can't buy happiness (except when you spend it like this!)

Chances are if you do reach one of your destination life goals, you may indeed feel happier – but only temporarily. Why? Because of our happiness set-point .  

Happiness journey vs destination: set-point

Our set-point largely determines our overall well-being, and all of us have different levels. Therefore, those with higher set-points will be happier most of the time compared with those that have a less joyful outlook (due to their lower set-point).

Going through our life journey, we oscillate around this set-point. Unhappy life events shift happiness levels below their set-point while positive or exciting events boost your happiness levels above it.  

RELATED: Is happiness genetic?

However, sooner or later, when that event becomes normalized or changes, happiness levels return to the original set-point (for example, when we feel the 'holiday blues' after coming back from the high of a recent holiday).

Likewise, once you reach your supposed happiness destination, it may not last, or something may get in the way of the perceived happiness you thought it would bring. For example, after getting what you thought was your dream job, you actually discovered it brought you a lot of negative stress due to the additional workload (and your demanding new boss). That dream new apartment you bought? Well, the noisy neighbours upstairs are doing their best to destroy your peace. Just met your 'perfect' partner? You'll soon discover all the things about them that drive you up the wall! Well, you get the picture.

“Chances are if you do reach one of your destination life goals, you will indeed feel happier – but only temporarily.”

Additionally, at some point these final destinations may dissolve all together. Indeed, as the only consistent thing in life is change, believing that happiness is a destination rather than the journey itself makes little sense.   In fact, this pursuit of happiness – the constant desire and drive to achieve things we believe will boost our well-being and joy – often ends in disappointment (the so-called ‘ happiness trap ’. )

Improving your journey to happiness

As discussed, according to Lyubomirsky, our genetic set-point is responsible for around 50 per cent of our happiness. The remainder depends on our circumstances (10 per cent ) and our life activity (40 per cent).

However, some studies suggest that by changing our day-to-day life activity – focusing on our journey and not a final destination – we can boost our internal set-point to a higher level and become happier. Indeed, there are many smaller, everyday activities we can choose to improve our general well-being. So, here are five that you can employ right away.

Studies show we can fix our happiness set point higher by helping others. In fact, according to one — analyzing data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Survey – the trait most strongly linked to long-term happiness increases is a regular commitment to altruism. It showed that the more compassionate we are, the happier our life journey seems to be.   RELATED: The benefits of kindness

This was backed up by another study by Sonja Lyubomirsky published in the Review of General Psychology in 2005. When she had students perform five weekly acts of kindness over a period of six weeks, they noticed a significant increase in happiness levels compared to a control group of students.  

2. Practise gratitude

Cultivating gratitude is scientifically-proven to increase your happiness journey, and is one of the simplest life changes you can make as it requires little effort.  

“As the only consistent thing in life is change, believing that happiness is a destination rather than the journey really makes little sense.”

According to a 2003 report in the journal of Social Behavior and Personality , grateful people tend to appreciate simple pleasures (defined as "those pleasures in life that are available to most people”). Indeed, a study published in The Journal of Happiness Studies showed that writing a daily or weekly gratitude journal can make finding happiness easier.  

3. Meditate

Starting your day with just five to 10 minutes of meditation will help you to develop your happiness. Try meditating in the morning shortly after waking: the immediate heightened inner clarity it will give you will set you up for the rest of the day.

And, according to Psychology Today , meditation is the strongest mental practice that has the power to reset your happiness set point, thus turning you into a more joyful person: regular meditation practice can literally rewire your brain so you can become happier.  

4. Build quality relationships

If happiness is a journey and not a destination, then it’s the people that are with you on your journey that can make all the difference. Science is clear on this: you can find and maintain happiness through developing quality relationships.

Humans are a social species and need regular contact. In a 75-year, multigenerational study , Robert Waldinger measured happiness levels in people from Boston’s poorest neighborhoods. He found that the most joyful were those with high-quality social connections.

5. Choose happiness

Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse who devoted her career to working with end-of-life patients, found a theme in those coming to the end of their lives: they has a deep regret about not ‘letting’   themselves be happy. Ware, the author of The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying , penned a blog for the Huffington Post , in which she wrote: 

“Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice . They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives.

“Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again ... Life is a choice. It is your life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness .”

RELATED: Cherophobia – the fear of happiness explained

Conclusions

All to often we are led to believe that by obtaining goals or possessions we will feel happier. But the reality is – and science agrees – that when we reach those destinations, our happiness levels quickly return to their original set-point. Indeed, happiness often leads to success, but success does not always lead to happiness. Instead, research shows that the best way to maintain consistent well-being is to focus on the everyday changes you can make in your life, with altruism, gratitude and quality relationships being important factors: happiness really is a journey and not a destination. 

In fact, research in the field of positive psychology has shown that happiness is a choice that anyone can make. As psychologist William James put it, “The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.” ●

Main image: shutterstock/Olga Danylenko

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Posted August 16, 2021

Reminds me of the verse by Alfred D. Souza that goes:

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life.

But there was always some obstacle in the way, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid.

At last, it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. 

HAPPINESS IS THE WAY.

So treasure every moment you have and remember that 

time waits for no one."

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Posted June 24, 2021

Happiness is a journey. I am not sure if I agree with the picture. However, I agree with the point made in the article. Happiness is not a destination that you reach, and then it's all sorted. The picture of the journey still implies a destination, and that's what seems wrong to me. I'll keep thinking of an image that resonates better with me.

Posted May 11, 2021

Such an interesting article, and I think it's always important to remind ourselves that happiness is a journey, not a destination. It's so easy to think you'll be happy once you've reached a certain goal, but the most important thing is really to enjoy the journey you are on and look for happiness in the smallest thing along the way. Don't compare yourself to others! 

Posted October 5, 2020

The purpose of this letter is to express my appreciation for sharing your valuable insight into personal growth. Its articles like “Why happiness is a journey, not a destination (and 5 key ways to enjoy the ride)” which gives those who are struggling hope for the future, as it pushes them to keep fighting their depression. I admire your view on happiness and your explanation of how it is a journey and not a destination. I also appreciate that you have provided readers with an amazing set of healthy coping strategies such as being kind and practicing gratitude. As when a person is depressed and/or anxious it may become very tempting to turn to unhealthy coping strategies such as drugs or alcohol to provide an ‘easy way out.’ However, these unhealthy coping mechanisms provide temporary happiness and will end up making them feel worse in the end. I thank you for taking the time to provide those who are struggling, with healthy and natural ways to bring themselves some relief. 

Posted April 30, 2019

Nice article

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Happiness.com » Magazine » PERSONAL GROWTH » Why happiness is a journey, not a destination (and 5 ways to enjoy the ride)

77 Positive and Inspiring Journey Quotes

Embark on a journey of a lifetime with these inspiring journey quotes. Life’s a thrilling ride, filled with ups and downs.

It’s about braving the storms and cherishing time spent with loved ones.

So whether your path is spiritual, an exciting travel adventure, or just starting something new in life, let these quotes fuel your spirit for exploration and discovery.

Journey quotes to begin your path towards greatness

1. “Never give up on your dreams, no matter how painful and difficult your journey is.” – Lisa

2. “The journey is never ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown

3. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

4. “Sometimes its more about the journey than the destination.” – Jamal Crawford

5. “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe

6. “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson

New journey quotes to inspire your success

7. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

8. “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – Drake

9. “Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

10. “Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

11. “Struggle teaches you a lot of things, and I am happy that I witnessed a roller coaster ride. The journey has improved me as a person and made me more matrure.” – Manoj Bajpayee

12. “Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

Life is a journey quotes

13. “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” – Oliver Goldsmith

14. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

15. “Learn to trust the journey, even when you do not understand it.” – Lolly Daskal

16. “Life is a journey that have a lot of different paths, but any path you choose, use it as your destiny.” – Unknown

17. “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli

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18. “Life is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

19. “Everyday you got a chance to make your journey more beautiful than yesterday.” – Nitin Namdeo

20. “Every day is a journey and the journey itself is home.” – Matsuo Basho

21. “Everybody has their own story; everything has their own journey.” – Thalia

Enjoy the journey quotes

22. “Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.” – Marshall Sylver

23. “Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame.” – Benedict Cumberbatch

24. “Enjoy the journey and try to get better everyday. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

25. “Enjoy the journey, the destination will come.” – Verghese

26. “Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you decide to enjoy your life.” – Joyce Meyer

27. “Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey.” – Urijah Faber

28. “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey

29. “Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” – Chanda Kochar

30. “Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing.” – Matt Biondi

31. “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” – Babs Hoffman

32. “I haven’t been everywhere but its on my list.” – Susan Sontag

33. “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” – Les Brown

Inspirational journey quotes

34. “You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward.” – Aubrey O’Day

35. “Life is a journey. When we stop, things don’t go right.” – Pope Francis

36. “There’s no map for you to follow and take your journey. You are Lewis and Clark. You are the mapmaker.” – Phillipa Soo

37. “I’m different than most people. When I cross the finish line of a big race, I see that people are ecstatic, but I’m thinking about what I’m going to do tomorrow. It’s as if my journey is everlasting, and there is no finish line.” – David Goggins

38. “We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.” – Marcel Proust

39. “Though the road’s been rocky it sure feels good to me.” – Bob Marley

40. “We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.” – Earl Nightingale

41. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs

42. “If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.” – Enoch Powell

Motivational journey quotes 

43. “Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else.” – Tennessee Williams

44. “Gotta take that adventure in order to understand your journey.” – Jennifer Pierre

45. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

46. “The beauty of my journey is that it’s always been pretty unpredictable, so stay tuned.” – Andreja Pejic

47. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T.S. Eliot

48. “The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi

49. “The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.” – Unknown

50. “Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.” – Theodore Roosevelt

51. “The harder you work from something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.” – Sudhashree Acharya

52. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

53. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – ILHQ

54. “When setting out on a journey do not seek advice from someone who never left home.” – Rumi

Positive journey quotes

55. “You may only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

56. “Every day you got a chance to make your journey more beautiful than yesterday.” – Nitin Namdeo

57. “Stay positive. Better days are on their way.” – Unknown

58. “Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.” – Ralph Marston

59. “You make a life out of what you have, not what you’re missing.” – Kate Morton

60. “Every sunset is an opportunity to reset. Every sunrise begins with new eyes.” – Richie Norton

61. “Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.” – Drew Barrymore

62. “Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.” – Asha Tyson

63. “And suddenty you know…It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Meister Eckhart

64. “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” – Dolly Parton

65. “Your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude.” – Michelle Obama

66. “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde

67. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

Journey of life quotes

68. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins

69. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett

70. “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

71. “You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame.” – Erica Jong

72. “If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – Dan Rather

73. “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

74. “Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier & healthier life.” – Germany Kent

75. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

76. “Our lives are the journey we take to find our true selves!” – Alyssa Gonzalez

77. “Your braver than you believe, stronger that you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne

Which of these journey quotes were your favorites?

We all have the potential within us to be great.

But greatness isn’t about luck. It’s a choice.

We must choose to succeed and take steps towards it.

Remember, the path to success is a journey, not a quick leap.

Let these quotes inspire you to stay focused on your goals and dreams, no matter what obstacles get in your way along the path.

Helping people and eating tacos are my jam! This blog exists to help provide tips and resources that can help you achieve your goals and live a better life. Whether you’re looking for tips on personal growth, fitness, advice on starting a side hustle, or resources for working remotely, I’ve got you covered.

51 Meaningful Quotes About How Life is a Journey

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They say that life is about the journey and not the destination. But what does that really mean?

You’ve probably heard this line a million times before, but maybe you couldn’t quite understand what it was trying to illustrate. 

The most successful people will tell you that the process of accomplishing something is far more valuable than the end result. You learn much more from all of your experiences and encounters than you do from arriving at the destination.

Ultimately, the process is the greatest reward. The sweetest moments come when you realize that you have attained the final goal because of everything you have experienced.

You look back on the mistakes, the challenges, and everything you had to endure—but you also celebrate the fact that you faced your problems head-on. Your journey through life is what makes you human.

In this article, we share with you a list of quotes about how life is a journey . We hope that, through these words, you’ll be able to enjoy everything that life has to offer. Even more so, we hope that they will inspire you to live a more meaningful and happier life .

But before we check out our list, let’s discuss how reading these quotes can get you motivated.

Table of Contents

Why Read Quotes About How Life Is a Journey?

Reading these quotes can inspire you to live a better and more fulfilling life.

They are, after all, from people who have found their journeys through life enjoyable and gratifying. There’s no better way to motivate yourself than to get inspiration from people who have already lived wonderful lives.

In the same vein, these quotes can help you appreciate the gift of life. They help you realize that you only live once, so you must relish the moments you have been given.

Finally, reading these quotes can encourage you to share your life with others. You will realize that, in order to be able to live your life to the fullest, you need someone to share both your joys and sorrows with. You require companions to fully live in the moment .

Now that you know why it’s important to read journey quotes, let us check out our list!

Meaningful Life is a Journey Quotes

• “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But by all means, keep moving.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins
• “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
• “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” – Heraclitus
• “Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere – on water and land.” – Walt Whitman
• “The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.” – Norton Juster
• “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli

• “Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost.” – Erol Ozan
• “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.” – Michelle Obama
• “I am no longer afraid of becoming lost because the journey back always reveals something new, and that is ultimately good for the artist.” – Billy Joel
• “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy
• “Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering.” – Santosh Kalwar
• “There is a strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.” – Aaron Lauritsen
• “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – Drake
• “ Transformation is a process , and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery – there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.” – Rick Warren
• “The journey is never-ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, and adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown
• “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson
• “On your journey, don’t forget to smell the flowers. Take time out to notice that you are alive. You can only live one day.” – Ray Fearon

• “If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends. It simply means the river bends.” – Enoch Powell
• “It’s not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place because it frees you.” – Tyler Perry
• “Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” – Chanda Kochhar
• “Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin
• “Your journey never ends. Life has a way of changing things in incredible ways.” – Alexander Volkov
• “Each one of us has our own evolution of life, and each one of us goes through different tests which are unique and challenging. But certain things are common. And we do learn things from each other's experiences. On a spiritual journey, we all have the same destination.” – A. R. Rahman
• “Going by my past journey, I am not certain where life will take me, what turns and twists will happen; nobody knows where they will end up. As life changes direction, I'll flow with it.” – Katrina Kaif
• “Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don't lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

• “But it's a journey and the sad thing is you only learn from experience, so as much as someone can tell you things, you have to go out there and make your own mistakes in order to learn.” – Emma Watson
• “The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.” – Wally Lamb
• “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” – Oliver Goldsmith
• “The Sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it's here is up to us. Journey wisely.” – Alexandra Elle
• “We may run, walk, stumble. drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way.” – Gloria Gaither
• “Whole life is a search for beauty. But, when the beauty is found inside, the search ends and a beautiful journey begins.” – Harshit Walia
• “Not everyone will understand your journey. That's okay. You're here to live your life, not to make everyone understand .” – Banksy
• “I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom.” – Les Brown
• “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.” – John Bingham
• “As you journey down the path, don't forget to be present moment-by-moment and absorb the beauty and richness of simply being alive.” – Cary David Richards
• “If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – Dan Rather

• “Life is a journey of either Fate or Destiny. Fate is the result of giving in to one's wounds and heartaches. Your Destiny unfolds when you rise above the challenges of your life and use them as Divine opportunities to move forward to unlock your higher potential.” – Caroline Myss
• “I know it can be tough to imagine how to get from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow. But I’m here to tell you that change is possible if you enter into this journey with your eyes wide open, and with real intention.” – David Hauser
• “Part of the challenge that comes with striving for success is how the entire journey comes with its own fair share of failures and disappointments.” – Rupert Johnson
• “The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That's all there ever is.” – Alan Watts
• “Life is a journey and it's about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are and loving who and what you are.” – Kelly McGillis
• “Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.” – Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• “I just constantly tell myself that I should be the only one to define my worth and what I'm capable of and how I perceive myself. And that I should never source that worth from other people, especially strangers on social media. They don't know who I am, the length of my journey, who I am as a person.” – Catriona Gray
• “ You have learned a lot, but there are still lots of learning for you as you journey through life. Never stop learning.” – Kate Summers

• “One of the most important things that I have learned in my 57 years is that life is all about choices. On every journey you take, you face choices. At every fork in the road, you make a choice. And it is those decisions that shape our lives.” – Mike DeWine
• “I'm different than most people. When I cross the finish line of a big race, I see that people are ecstatic, but I'm thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow. It's as if my journey is everlasting, and there is no finish line.” – David Goggins
• “The journey matters as much as the destination. By engaging at the moment on set, I've stopped rushing and now find pleasure in the collaborative process – the characters, the costumes – rather than worrying about the finished product.” – Michelle Dockery
• “It's a life's journey of finding ourselves, finding our power, and living for yourself, not for everyone else.” – Mariska Hargitay

Final Thoughts on Life & Journey

Life is a journey, and we all take different paths.

There are those who take the road less traveled and enjoy unique accomplishments, while others go with the crowd but still end up loving the lives they’ve chosen as well. Regardless of our choices, we will all have the potential to become successful in the ways we personally define success.

We hope that these quotes inspired you to enjoy your life’s journey and make it more meaningful. Enjoy the moment and live happy!

And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 63 Inspiring Walt Whitman Quotes About Life
• 51 Do What Makes You Happy Quotes for 2023
• 107 Quotes About Overcoming Adversity and Challenges in Your Life

Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success .

Quote Investigator®

Tracing Quotations

Life Is a Journey, Not a Destination

Ralph Waldo Emerson? Lynn H. Hough? Aerosmith? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Ralph Waldo Emerson is often credited with the following:

Life is a journey, not a destination.

I’ve searched the RWE.org database without luck and did a text search through over 1100 pages of his essays. I believe this is a misattribution. Any insight you have into the lineage of this quote would be much appreciated.

Reply from Quote Investigator: An exact match for the expression above has not been found in the oeuvre of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Yet, Emerson did write a thematically related remark: 1

To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.

This sentence suggested a psychological vantage point in which the intermediate advances of the journey were representative of the completion of the journey. This is arguably a distinct statement from the questioner’s saying which is listed in “The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs” without attachment to a specific person. 2

The earliest close match located by QI appeared in 1920 in a periodical called “The Christian Advocate”. The phrase was used by the theologian Lynn H. Hough within his outline for a Sunday School Lesson discussing a letter from Simon Peter. Bold face has been added to the phrase here and some phrases below: 3

He wanted his friends to realize that life is a journey and not a destination ; that the heart must be set upon those matters of character which are eternal and not upon those matters of sensation which pass away.

Interesting precursors of the expression were in circulation in the previous century. In 1854 “The Sunday at Home: A Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading” printed a “Page for the Young” with the following advice: 4

You should learn in early youth that your life is a journey, not a rest . You are travelling to the promised land, from the cradle to the grave.

In 1855 another religious text used a variant phrase and provided an explanation: 5

All life is a journey, not a home ; it is a road, not the country; and those transient enjoyments which you have in this life, lawful in their way,—those incidental and evanescent pleasures which you may sip,—are not home; they are little inns only upon the road-side of life, where you are refreshed for a moment, that you may take again the pilgrim-staff and journey on, seeking what is still before you—the rest that remaineth for the people of God.

A decade later the passage above was reprinted in a collection entitled “A Cyclopaedia of Illustrations of Moral and Religious Truths”; however, it was labeled ANON. 6

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

In 1920 “ life is a journey and not a destination ” was written in a book by the pastor Lynn H. Hough as discussed previously in this article.

In 1922 another variant of the saying was printed which emphasized an experiential theme instead of a religious one: 7

But we stupid mortals, or most of us, are always in haste to reach somewhere else, forgetting that the zest is in the journey and not in the destination .

In 1926 the trope was applied to the domain of love within a verse using eccentric capitalization: 8

LOVE To SOME men Is NOT a DESTINATION. It is just A FLIGHT OF FANCY . A RUSHING EMOTION between BUSINESS and AMBITION that Keeps them FOREVER ON THE HOP.

In 1929 an essay by a high school student employed a version of the saying with the word “success”. The words were enclosed in quotation marks suggesting that the adage was already in circulation: 9

You know, “ success is not a destination, but a journey .”

Yet another variant of the expression was in circulation by 1930: 10

Prof J. C. Archer of Yale University will speak on “ Religion a Journey and Not a Destination ” at the monthly “church night” gathering at Memorial church tomorrow night.

In 1935 a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer presented a variant: 11

“Helen, somebody has said that happiness is a journey—not a destination . You have it as you go along. You’ve been very happy with two different people.

In 1936 the book “I Knew Them in Prison” by Mary B. Harris invoked two versions 12 of the adage at once: 13

Reformation, like education, is a journey, not a destination.

In 1937 another instance of the maxim about education was printed in a California newspaper: 14

Reporting on education, Mrs. S. G. Stooke said that education is a journey and not a destination , for we must keep developing.

In 1993 the rock band Aerosmith released the song Amazing as a single. The lyrics were written by Steven Tyler and Richie Supa, and they included an instance of the saying: 15

Life’s a journey not a destination And I just can’t tell just what tomorrow brings

In the 2006 movie “Peaceful Warrior” a character named Dan Millman was led on a three-hour trek to a remote location by his mentor, a character named ‘Socrates’ who embodied a wise man archetype. Millman was excited and happy during the trip because he expected to be shown something important and when he was shown a non-descript rock he was initially disappointed. But after reflection Millman said the following to Socrates: 16

Dan Millman: The journey… the journey is what brings us happiness… not the destination

Many of the examples above conform to the following flexible phrasal template. The linguistic term snowclone is used for these collections of related phrases:

X is a journey, not a destination

In conclusion, current evidence indicates that the phrase under investigation is an anonymous modern proverb that entered circulation by 1920.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Jack Herring for his query on this topic. This question was constructed by QI based on his inquiry. Also, thanks to Dan Goncharoff for noting the relevant quotation due to Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Update History: On September 2, 2012 the 1844 citation for Emerson was added together with the reference to the film Peaceful Warrior. On February 27, 2024 the format of the bibliographical notes was updated.

• 1845 (Copyright 1844), Essays: Second Series by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Second Edition, Essay: II Experience Start Page 49, Quote Page 65, James Munroe and Company, Boston. (Google Books full view) link ↩︎
• 2012, The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, Compiled by Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro, (Phrase: Life is a journey, not a destination), Page 142, Yale University Press, New Haven. (Verified on paper) ↩︎
• 1920 February 19, The Christian Advocate, The Sunday School Lesson, Conducted by Lynn H. Hough: First Quarter – Lesson IX –  February 29, 1920, Quote Page 266, Column 2, The Methodist Book Concern Publishers, New York. (Google Books full view) link ↩︎
• 1854 December 7, The Sunday at Home: A Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading, Page for the Young: The Midnight Feast and Its Lesson, Quote Page 512, The Religious Tract Society, London. (HathiTrust) link   link ↩︎
• 1855, The End: Or, The Proximate Signs of the Close of This Dispensation by Rev. John Cumming, Quote Page 392, John Farquhar Shaw, London. (Google Books full view) link ↩︎
• 1865, A Cyclopaedia of Illustrations of Moral and Religious Truths, Edited by John Bate, Second Edition, Section: Life, Quote Page 535, Elliot Stock, London. (Google Books full view) link ↩︎
• 1922, Roads of Adventure by Ralph D. Paine, Quote Page 404, Houghton Mifflin company, Boston. (Google Books full view) link ↩︎
• 1926 August 27, Richmond Times Dispatch, (Freestanding verse titled: “You Said It, Marceline” On “Flights of Fancy.”), Page 6, Column 4, Richmond, Virginia. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
• 1929 May 12, Times-Picayune, Convent School Wins News Prize by Wide Margin: Third Prize Winning Essay by Irene Wadlington, Quote Page 26, Column 1 and 2, New Orleans, Louisiana. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
• 1930 February 12, Springfield Republican, Yale Professor to Give Address, Page 8, Column 4, Springfield, Massachusetts. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
• 1935 January 25, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Shadows in Paradise by Inez Wallace, Page 8, Column 4, Cleveland, Ohio. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
• 2012, The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, Compiled by Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro, Phrase: Education is a journey, not a destination, Page 66, Yale University Press, New Haven. (Verified on paper) ↩︎
• 1936 May 27, Christian Science Monitor, ‘I Knew Them in Prison’: Through the Editor’s Window by Millicent Taylor, (Book Review of “I Knew Them in Prison” by Mary Harris; Quotation about education is reprinted in the review), Quote Page 14, Boston, Massachusetts. (ProQuest) ↩︎
• 1937 December 8, San Diego Union, Civic Unit Warned of Dishonest Businesses, Page 7, Column 4, San Diego, California. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
• YouTube video, Amazing by Aerosmith, (Quote is sung at 2:04 of 6:50 minutes), Uploaded by AerosmithVEVO on Dec 24, 2009. (Accessed youtube.com on August 31, 2012) link ↩︎
• YouTube video, Video excerpt from Peaceful Warrior (2006), Title: “‘It’s the journey, not the destination’ – Peaceful warrior”, (Quote spoken at 2:39 of 3:11 minutes), Uploaded by lordkostas on Jan 4, 2009. (Accessed youtube.com on September, 2012) link ↩︎

Journey vs. destination: Motivation experts break down which one to focus on to reach your goals

New studies reveal how to use metaphors to motivate yourself.

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There's nothing more natural than using path- and travel-related metaphors. We've all spoken of "long roads ahead", "heading in the right direction", or "taking a wrong turn." Szu-Chi Huang and Jennifer Aaker , psychologists at the Stanford School of Business, say that path-metaphors aren't just a convenient way to describe our goals. They recently conducted six studies involving over 1,600 people who were pursuing fitness, diet, and educational goals and found that whether people focus on "the journey" or "the destination" makes a big difference to motivation and success. We reached out and asked about the differences between the two kinds of metaphors, and how we can use them to motivate ourselves at each stage on the way to our goals.

Journey versus destination

The destination is "like a dot on the map," says Huang, "It's the desired end-state of all our striving." If you're trying to lose 20 pounds, then 20 pounds lighter is the destination. According to Huang, thinking about the destination highlights the difference between where we are now and where we want to be: "Knowing there is an ideal state and they are not there yet, that gap motivates people," she says. It's not just the beauty of our goal, it's the pain of not yet having achieved it.

Journey metaphors, by contrast, "draw a line from your current state to your future state and illuminate what it looks like." Thinking about the journey calls our attention to all the things we'll need to do, the obstacles and milestones, the highs and lows along the way.

Starting the journey

Big goals can be exciting, but they don't come with directions. It's easy to say "I'm going to get into great shape this year," but that doesn't tell us what to do tomorrow. Therefore, thinking about the journey is especially important right at the beginning.

If you're setting out on a fitness journey, for example, Huang recommends prepping the same way you would for an actual physical trip. "What do we do when we're going on a trip? We buy the equipment we need: the appropriate shoes, the gym membership, whatever tools we need. We prepare by reading books or taking a course." Also, notes Huang, most people don't like to travel alone, so this is the time to find travelling companions with similar goals.

Focusing on the journey also "helps us to map out the milestones and sub-goals that we'll need to reach along the way." At the outset, focusing only on the final destination can be discouraging if we don't have a clear path to get there. Huang says setting out milestones gives us immediate direction, allows us to experience small successes along the way, and builds in opportunities to review whether our companions and equipment are still right for the next stage in the journey.

On the path to victory

According to Huang, whether we should keep our eyes on the prize or focus on putting one foot in front of the other depends on where we are in the journey.

In research for a 2017 article, she found that thinking about the destination can be demotivating in two ways. When our goals seem unattainable, "we tend to disengage because we don't like to commit to things that are impossible." This is especially a problem in the early stages of a journey when the destination is still far-off and we haven't proved to ourselves that we can hack it.

Yet we also disengage when goals are too attainable. "It's a tortoise and hare effect," says Huang, "Losing one more pound sounds simple and I won't care about it much, so maybe I'll just go grab a dessert." When a journey is going well and the end is in sight, small sub-goals seem less relevant and we start to slow down.

When this happens, "It's time to bring back that big destination." Huang suggests using visualization to help bring your final goal to life. "If I want to lose five pounds, I visualize the dress I want to look good in or imagine myself in a situation where my friends can compliment me on feeling so much fitter in my workout class." When we visualize things, it engages our emotions and makes it personally relevant. For Huang, saying she wants to "lose five pounds" won't do the trick, "A number is just a number. There's no emotion around it, no relevance."

How to keep climbing once you've reached the summit

When we reach our goals, it's normal to relax and forget about the long slog that got us there. This makes sense when our goals are limited in scope. But many goals are really about lasting personal change. As Aaker puts it, "The point of education is not the diploma, it's to keep learning in the future. The point of getting in shape is not to lose the extra five pounds, it's to keep the weight off and maintain your healthy habits into the future.… In this light, success isn't the short-run win; it's the subsequent activity that you adopt after you achieved your goal."

If we're trying to establish long-term changes, focusing on a destination that we've already reached might hurt our chances. We've closed the distance where we are and where we want to be that used to motivate us. This is why people tend to revert to their old behaviours once they've achieved a fitness or weight-loss goal. 

The six studies on fitness, dieting, and educational goal that Aaker and Huang recently published revealed that, "Across each of these studies thinking about success as a journey helps people see greater change and personal growth," says Aaker, "which fuels them to continue eating healthily and continue learning after achieving their original goals."

The reason that focusing on the journey helps people keep up their good behaviour is that it reminds us of the distance we have crossed, the gap between who we were when we set out and who we are now. "When we have positive change, we want to hold onto it. We don't want to go back to how we were," says Huang.

It also helps us internalize the behaviours that we used on the way. As Huang puts it, "If I think about the journey, I feel like I've changed. I'm now the person who works out or is mindful about eating." And when the behaviours become part of her identity, Huang says "I'll do it with or without reward. You don't need to incentivize me and give me points for going to the gym anymore, this is part of who I am."

How do we take advantage of this powerful effect? When you've achieved a goal, take some time to reflect on how you got there. Think of the ups and downs on the way and link the behaviours that you used with the positive change that you experienced. To make this reflection more powerful, Huang recommends documenting your progress along the way. "Take photos if it's a physical change. Journal and take notes along the way, the more personal the better." If you haven't recorded your journey, says Huang, it's still worth doing. "Close your eyes and think for a few minutes about what happened last month. What changed in the last month? These are the things we want to make a connection to using this journey mindset." Either way, the key is to find a sense of positive growth and link it to the behaviours that helped you achieve your goals.

Clifton Mark writes about philosophy, psychology, politics, and other life-related topics. Find him  @Clifton_Mark  on Twitter.

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Why Happiness Is A Journey And Not A Destination

by Christian

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Updated on January 29, 2023

“Happiness is a journey.” You’ve definitely heard this before. So what exactly does it mean? If happiness isn’t a destination, then how do we find it? And if happiness is a journey, does that mean we never really get there? Many people swear by this common saying – so are they right, or is it just a cliche?

Your happiness depends on a lot of things, like genetics and life experiences – but as much as 40% is in your control. The way you conceive of happiness can have a big impact on just how happy you are. If you go chasing after it, you may find it slips through your fingers. The expression “Happiness is a journey” is all about thinking about happiness the right way – and finding ways to enjoy all the steps.

There are a couple of different ways to interpret this expression, and each of them will teach you something important about happiness. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways happiness can be thought of as a journey, with examples and actual research to help you apply them to your own life.

I’ll be happy when …..

Affective forecasting in science, a little happiness every day vs a lot of happiness at once, creating your own happiness, active anticipation vs happiness, enjoying the journey and the destination, closing words, happiness as a goal in life.

We often talk about happiness as a goal — something to be attained, like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The problem with this approach is that we forget to enjoy the present moment. There’s nothing wrong with setting goals for yourself, but if you think achieving a certain goal will finally bring you happiness, you may be in for a disappointment . One reason is that the predictions we make about how we’ll feel in the future aren’t very accurate.

When I was studying psychology at university, one of our professors asked us at the beginning of the course to fill out a survey. Several of the questions had to do with what grade we thought we’d get, and how we’d feel if we got a better or worse grade. At the end of the year, after we received back our grades, we were asked to note our emotional response.

It turns out that almost all our predictions were incorrect. Those of us who got a better grade than we’d predicted at the beginning of the year didn’t feel as happy as we thought we would – and those of us who got a worse grade didn’t feel as bad as predicted!

The ability to accurately predict our future emotional states is called affective forecasting and it turns out that humans are pretty bad at it . We make consistently bad predictions about how we’ll feel:

• When a relationship ends
• When we do well in sports
• When we get a good grade
• When we graduate from college
• When we get a promotion
• Just about anything else

There are a couple of different reasons why we’re so bad at this, but two of the main ones are because we usually overestimate how intensely we’ll feel an emotion and for how long .

Another important reason we’re bad at predicting our emotions is that we usually fail to take into account the complexity of future events. You might think you’ll be happy when you get a promotion – but you may find yourself over-worked, with too much responsibility and not enough time.

Finally, this study found that the more people equate goal-achievement with happiness, the more they’re likely to be miserable when they fail to achieve that goal. If there’s a lesson to be learned from poor affective forecasting, it’s that you shouldn’t count on specific events to make you happy.

Another reason why it’s not great to put all your happiness eggs in one basket is that your happiness depends more on the frequency of happy events , and not the intensity.

In other words, it’s better to have lots of little happy moments than one or two bigs ones. Not only this, but research has shown that happiness from individual events doesn’t actually last that long . And it turns out that one of the best ways to prolong feelings of happiness following an event is to relive what it is that made you happy .

These three studies together tell us something very important about happiness: you should try to maximize the number of small, happy events in your life as much as you can.

Why is happiness a journey and not a destination? Because whatever you think is the destination, it probably won’t make you as happy as you’d like, and you may end up miserable if you don’t get there. It’s better to enjoy little events along the way.

I came across this cute and clever meme today in the gym. Maybe you’ve seen it.

It got me to thinking that one of the reasons why lots of people are unhappy is because they go out looking for happiness, rather than cultivating it in their lives. In a previous article, we explained how happiness is an inside job – it’s something that you can build up from the inside, without having to resort to external sources.

One overview of the paradoxes inherent in seeking happiness came to this conclusion:

Happiness is pursued indirectly as the by-product of meaningful activities and relationships.

While the reasons are manifold (and a bit complex), it looks like “searching for it everywhere” is just about the worst way to go about it. Maddeningly, this study found that valuing happiness as an end goal or destination may “lead people to be less happy just when happiness is within reach.” Finally, when we’re focused on happiness as a destination, we end up feeling like we have less time to enjoy it . So if happiness isn’t a destination we can find and get to, how do we create it?

Well, I already mentioned one article, but the Learn To Be Happy Blog is full of advice based on real-world examples and research on how to cultivate happiness in your day to day life. Some examples include journaling for self-improvement , spreading happiness to others , and (of course!) being physically active . There are lots of ways to create happiness in your life, and studies have shown it’s a lot more effective than looking for it.

Why is happiness a journey and not a destination? Because you may never find the destination, in which case you’ve got a long, long journey ahead of you. So enjoy it! When you get happiness from the journey, you can stop looking for it elsewhere.

Happiness on the horizon

I love facts. Did you know that we share 50% of our DNA with lettuce? Or that a piece of paper folded 42 times would reach the moon? (Turns out you can’t fold a piece of paper more than 8 times. Sorry NASA).

Well, here’s another one of my favorites: people are typically happier planning vacations than after going on them .

In fact, the anticipation of an event is often more enjoyable than the event itself, and we’re happier looking forward to it than we are remembering it. Why is that? Well, it’s due in part to what we talked about in the first part of this article, affective forecasting. We overestimate how much a vacation or some other event will make us happy. But we love imagining it, planning it and getting excited about it!

This is called active anticipation and it’s a fantastic way to enjoy the happiness journey. There are lots of ways to practice active anticipation of an event – you can journal about it, watch movies or read books in a similar vein, or do research on things to do. The important thing is to enjoy the process as much as you can.

This also means you’ll be happier if you always have something good on the horizon, whether it’s a trip, a play, a dinner with friends, or just a nice meal at the end of the week.

If that seems contradictory to the first two interpretations of Happiness as a journey, remember to focus on active anticipation — take as much pleasure as you can in planning the details.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy yourself at the party! But it does mean that you should try to enjoy planning it too. Don’t attach your happiness to the upcoming event. You can look forward to the event without saying to yourself, “I’ll finally be happy when I go on vacation”, or “I’ll finally be happy when I see my friends!”

The point is to enjoy all of it – the journey there and the destination.

Why is happiness a journey and not a destination? Because the journey can be a lot more fun than the destination itself, and if you take the time to really enjoy each step along the way, you’ll spend more time being happy. Having something to look forward to helps you be happier in the present, which means that the journey is never really over. When you reach one destination, just keep on trekking!

💡 By the way : If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here. 👇

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

We’ve seen a number of different ways that happiness is best thought of as a journey and not a destination. It turns out that people are happiest when they have something to look forward to, when they enjoy the steps that take them there, and when they don’t attach too much importance to individual events.

On the flip side, focusing on happiness as a destination to be found or reached, putting all your hopes on big life events, and aiming for one or two really happy moments rather than a series of little ones, are all things that can make you less happy. It turns out the cliché is true: happiness really is a journey, one to be enjoyed to the fullest.

Now I’m looking forward to hearing from you! Have you experienced things similar to what I discussed in this article? Did I miss something? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Academic researcher and writer with a passion for statistical analysis, neuropsychology and mental health.

2 thoughts on “Why Happiness Is A Journey And Not A Destination”

Great article. I was a very unhappy person when I was younger and it took me a long time to realize that happiness was up to me, not up to the world or people around me. Now, I look for things to be happy about every day. It has changed my life.

Thanks for sharing, Sherri!

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Why Life is a Journey Not a Destination

I love reading thriller novels. The stories usually have a complex plot with twists and turns that make you eager to know how the book will end. But if you just skip to the last chapter, you certainly lose the beauty and satisfaction of the story and do not fully grasp what really happened in it. The reality of life is very similar. That is because life is a journey not a destination.

No one knows how our journey is going to end. Having a life plan with things we want to accomplish is extremely important. However, I have found through my own journey that if we focus too much on the eventual outcome, not only do we miss out on many of life’s great moments.

But, we may fail to take advantage of the daily opportunities and relationships along the path to achieving our aspirations. So, one of my biggest life lessons has been to not wait until I have it all figured out before taking daily intentional action.

I have also found it vital to try to enjoy the journey experience so I can maximize opportunities along the way and become the best version of myself. This, frankly, hasn’t always been easy for me to do. I tend to be my own worst enemy by not celebrating the small victories along the journey and being overly self-critical.

In the blog last week, I covered the importance of micro choices and how they are the foundation for the daily decision points along our journey to achieving our goals. I will be building upon that theme and educating you on why you might be losing focus on your journey and showing you ways to be present and successfully enjoy the ride to achieving your goals.

To better articulate the point of this topic, let us first look at the story of an entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist Cheryl Snead , who learned how to adapt and make the necessary changes throughout her journey.

This article is based on an episode of  Passion Struck  with John R. Miles.  Listen to the episode on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Podcast Addict ,  Pocket Casts ,  Stitcher ,  Castbox ,  Google Podcasts ,  Amazon Music , or your favorite podcast platform.

How Cheryl Snead adapted and found joy along her journey

Cheryl Snead was born in Englewood, New Jersey, on May 18, 1958. She was raised in a loving environment and provided an adequate education that filled her mind with knowledge and allowed her to dream as big as possible. Growing up, she would often ponder what she wanted to become but didn’t have any clear answer.

Then on the night of July 20, 1969, now aged 11, she watched on TV as Neil Armstrong landed on the moon’s surface, and this got her intrigued enough to want to become an astronaut. As she grew up, she learned that most astronauts had a background in science and engineering, and because of this decided to pursue a career path in engineering.

She took science and math classes throughout school, still driven by her long-term goal of becoming an astronaut. Then it happened when she was about 15; she got on her first plane ride and got air sick. Subsequently, this happened to her on a few other plane rides, and she decided that becoming an astronaut wasn’t the best fit for her after all.

However, she had developed a love for math and science, enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together, and loved to design and solve problems. So, she made a choice to pursue her passion in engineering.

She attended and graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, becoming the first African American Woman to do so.

Although she didn’t have any plan on exactly where to work, nor did she know what she wanted to be past getting that degree, Cheryl continued to pay attention to the process she was going through. More importantly, she intentionally engaged. Her actions directly led her to land a job with General Electric.

Cheryl doubled down on her deliberate choices to achieve her goals, allowing her to excel in her career at General Electric. However, she knew it wasn’t the end of the journey for her.

Cheryl then went on to earn a Master’s degree in business from the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University. She later received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from Bryant University.

When the opportunity came to pursue an active role in a small business, she took it. Cheryl founded Banneker Industries, which provides supply chain management solutions, value-added warehousing, and logistic services. Banneker is named after Benjamin Banneker, the first African-American mathematician, astronomer, and inventor.

Cheryl pushed Banneker Industries to remarkable heights for nearly 30 years, becoming one of the country’s most successful women- and minority-owned firms. One of Cheryl and her company’s most notable accomplishments was when she and her husband, Roland, got the U.S. National Subcontractor of the Year award in 2008, including a private lunch with President George W. Bush.

Cheryl was also considered in President Obama’s candidate pool for U.S. SBA Administrator in 2012. During his 2014 visit to Rhode Island, she had the opportunity to meet with him in person. She served on several charitable and for-profit boards locally and nationally.

Cheryl Snead passed away on January 22, 2018. She is remembered as an extraordinary soul who influenced and inspired countless people and for being a champion of the focus on continual improvement and being intentional about the micro choices along life’s journey. Cheryl was also a patient, passionate, and humble champion for the empowerment of youth, people of color, women, and small businesses.

She often said, “when my career and life’s journey is over, I want to be remembered that I managed with enthusiasm, led with passion, and led as a servant.”

From Cheryl Snead’s story here, the following questions can be drawn?

Why do we lose sight that life is a journey not a destination?

What are the consequences of failing to understand it’s not about the destination it’s about the journey, how do you focus on and enjoy the journey.

As children, we often dream about what we want to become in the future: a professional athlete, a doctor, a lawyer, a fireman, an engineer, and so on. It’s easy to have a dream. However, none of us are fully aware of the path and all the steps it takes to reach those career destinations. Like Cheryl, many of us choose a focus because of our upbringing, someone we know or see who is in that job, or because it piques an interest inside us.

But then, we grow up, and the reality of our abilities in relation to our refined desires guides us in often choosing different career paths. While some of us do what we dreamed about at a young age, most end up in different places.

That is because thinking of the end goal is the easy part. The hard part is identifying the specifics of a destination, developing your process of achieving it, and then making the deliberate micro choices to achieve it. We also must push past the inevitable barriers that will arise. As you can see, there are many reasons why we fail to achieve our goals.

Former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt famously said: “Nothing in the world is worth having or doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.”

And there is a reason for that. As I learned during my interview with behavior scientist Dr. Michelle Segar, we are conditioned from an early age to understand how to start and stop but not how to sustain. And this is where the problem lies.

We often lose sight of the importance of our journeys because our minds are so fixed on end results that we become rigid and impermissible to adaptation. We often stop because we become overwhelmed by the enormity of what we aspire to achieve and the obstacles we encounter along the way.

That is why James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits , is so adamant about the power of systems. These systems are the frameworks required for us to build, improve and execute the actions that happen along our journeys.

Clear also points out another flaw with focusing on the end result: they are finite .

Focusing solely on end results can cause us to become oblivious to the reality of our current lives and the micro choices required to attain those goals. We lose obvious opportunities to advance towards those very goals or new ones that could be birthed during the journey.

The following are the effects that will occur when you neglect the process of your journey and pay attention to only your end goals.

You get easily bored and distracted

The activities leading up to your goal include mundane and sometimes difficult things. But if you only care about the end goal and not the process, you will start and stop but not sustain.

It creates self-doubt

Not meeting a goal within your set time can feel like a failure. Thus, by not focusing on the process, you won’t be able to properly appreciate the micro-steps you are taking towards your goal and might begin the doubt your abilities to reach them.

It causes undue stress

Stress is one of the biggest issues people face today. The problem occurs when we fail to allow ourselves to enjoy the process. Instead, we get caught up in the constant pressure of having to achieve more. This causes unnecessary stress, one of the major things causing burnout for so many people today as well as long-term poor health.

You become impatient and may make wrong choices

We often try to short circuit the path to our destination. Doing so can cause us to make choices that will derail us from the right path. According to research , focusing solely on one’s goal could undermine our ability to achieve it.

It can lead to losing your joy

There will always be external factors beyond you that could affect the achievement of your goals. By paying attention to only the goals, you will allow your joy to depend on something outside your immediate control and can easily lose it.

Author Lewis Carroll said, “If you do not know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Without a destination or goal, one will drift around without getting anywhere.

However, while looking forward to a goal, you must pay close attention to your plans and process towards achieving it. The following are ways to focus on, enjoy and get all the benefits on your journey towards your goals.

• Stay flexible and adaptable so that you can recognize new opportunities and tackle unforeseen challenges along the journey towards your goal.
• Journal or document to highlight and amplify the preciousness of moments in your journey.
• Keep your attention on what you can control to help you get the best out of your current situations and do your best in the present.
• Learn and apply patience to avoid making rash decisions and receive the lessons in each situation.
• Stay positive and live every day with gratitude so that you can always see the good in your journey and stay healthy to accomplish your goal.
• Share your experiences with others to encourage and provide helpful lessons during their journeys. By helping someone else, you also will feel good and encouraged.
• Unwind and engage in fun activities to help relieve you of any unnecessary pressure and refresh your mind and body.
• Prioritize and constantly take action to recognize the resources at your disposal and what they can accomplish in the present.
• And lastly, intentionally celebrate every part of the process. They all play important roles in shaping who you ultimately become and what you accomplish at the end of the day.

Why it’s about the journey not the destination

Life is precious, and every moment of it should be cherished. Only by paying attention to the journey can we truly live our purpose and not merely go through the motions.

In the words of renowned author Greg Anderson, “Focus on the journey, not the destination, for joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

This statement succinctly points out that you cannot afford to postpone living the life you want to live and do it with intention. Because as humans, once we reach a mark, we will begin to aim for more, as the emotions never last and will always return one to the baseline. This phenomenon is known as hedonic adaptation , which occurs for positive and negative events.

Our goals will always extend as long as we are here, so you need to enjoy each moment. Even the unpleasant ones can teach important lessons if you pay close attention to the journey. It can build in you qualities like tenacity, grit, integrity, and discipline, among many other positive qualities.

It’s easy to believe that you’ll start creating the life you want tomorrow. But, so often, we postpone to later never comes, and motivation dies out. That is why it is so important for us to be intentional about the micro choices we make every day. That is where you will find joy.

Remember that all you have control over is the present, and when you do your best in it and focus on your journey, it could lead to a destination much better than you imagined. Begin with everyday things. When going to work, talk to or smile at someone, watch the sunrise and sunset, assist someone else with a task, and savor every moment of your waking day.

When you apply all these, you will begin to experience life on a new level, and each moment will be one to be treasured. You will realize that life is a journey not a destination.

———————————————————

Listen  to the  Passion Struck Podcast   anywhere you listen to podcasts online.

• Read my recent article on why the real prisons exist in the mind and what we believe.
• Are you having trouble prioritizing yourself? I discuss where you invest your love; you invest your life  in Episode 104
• I explain why materialism is impacting your success and happiness  in episode 96 .
• Do you know the science of healthy habits? I explore this in-depth in  Episode 108 .
• Suppose you missed my interview with  Jen Bricker-Bauer  on Everything is Possible. Don’t panic! You can catch up by  downloading it here .
• How do you strengthen your relationship with your best self? Explore  episode 110 .

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John R. Miles is a bestselling author, award-winning podcast host of Passion Struck, and purpose-driven entrepreneur.

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Happiness Is a Practice, Not a Destination

If you don't find happiness within, there's no gps that can get you there..

Posted April 10, 2018 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

A lot of research on happiness and subjective well-being has been done over the past 50 years—it seems like everyone wants to determine the exact formula for joy. While there will never be a universal prescription for attaining happiness, some important findings offer guidelines for all of us. Here are five prerequisites for finding satisfaction or experiencing happiness in life:

1. Human beings need relationships to enjoy optimum well-being and happiness.

This is a simple truth—we are born with a strong drive to establish connections with others. While many of us think that we will be happy when we find “true love,” or whatever we feel approximates that, it is not romantic relationships that are required for happiness. Simply having good friends who encourage and support you will contribute just as much to your overall feelings of happiness and contentment in life.

2. Being kind to others is essential to finding a sense of personal happiness.

Our human brains are wired so that we feel joy when we behave in altruistic ways. Just making plans to do something nice for others—whether it is throwing a party for a friend, volunteering your time for a worthy cause, or planning a monetary donation—will give you a boost and generate a sense of satisfaction and well-being.

3. Acknowledging the abundance of your own life—no matter how austere or extravagant it might be—and experiencing gratitude for what you have contributes to your well-being.

The drive to attain more and more is counter to the expression of gratitude and a feeling of contentment with who and where you are in life. The pursuit of “things” only has value if you cherish the pursuit more than the “thing” it might yield.

4. Finding a sense of meaning and purpose in your pursuits in life is necessary for your contentment and happiness.

Believing that you are contributing to something beyond yourself and being a part of something larger than your individual existence are also necessary to experience a feeling of peace that is a part of happiness.

5. Making healthy lifestyle choices in terms of your basic needs—sleep, nutrition , and exercise—also contributes to your happiness in life.

There are many research studies that show that regular exercise—even just a daily walk—is effective in reducing depression . Contemplation activities, such as yoga, meditation , and reflection, also are proven to reduce stress and promote well-being.

Depending on your age, many people think a good night’s sleep is “optional,” but research shows that poor sleeping habits lead to greater stress, increased risk for cardiovascular illness, and even weight gain. Sure, you can “sleep when you’re dead,” to paraphrase a movie title, but why would you want to risk an earlier demise than you would otherwise need to?

Regarding nutrition, healthy diets really do affect your overall health. And your physical health affects your happiness significantly. A recent research study has shown that including fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet also reduces depression and anxiety . Trading the short-term convenience of processed foods or the pleasure of overindulgence of alcohol or nicotine or other recreational drugs may bring that fleeting “high,” but the crash that follows not only affects you the day you feel it, but has a lasting negative effect on your long-term health and happiness.

When you think about what brings you happiness in life, if your answer is related to the acquisition of possessions, think about the let-down you feel once the novelty or thrill of the purchase is over. Perhaps you imbue more power into a material object than it warrants. Thinking about your most treasured and successful romantic relationship, was the satisfaction based on simply “possessing” the person or on the experiences and feelings that were benefits of the relationship?

Many of us enjoy the hunt or the pursuit more than we do the possession of a particular thing. Often, you will hear couples reminisce fondly about the days that they struggled in their relationships—and too many couples will break up after they “make it." It is the experience of striving and working together that bonds us with others. When we reach a point when we feel we “have it made” and have no more goals to work toward, then we are apt to find less value, satisfaction, or meaning in life.

Happiness Shouldn’t Be an Industry but a Personal Practice

As a counselor, I know that people are often seeking that perfect “happiness prescription” that will bring them the kind of satisfaction and contentment they long for. Unfortunately, I also know that these two goals are by-products of life, not “targets” or “places” that can be entered into a GPS to be found.

People who are unhappy often seek professional help, and yet the two core reasons that many people are not happy come down to two very basic relationship-centered states—either they have no relationships with others at all, or they have poor relationships with others. To find contentment and happiness, we need to have people in our lives with whom we can be ourselves—vulnerable, imperfect, and striving to live a better life.

Selfish people will never find true contentment: There will always be something just out of their reach that they cannot attain, and they are unable to find joy in the pursuit, only the possession or attainment of a goal. And once that goal is reached or possessed, it loses its value, and they look outward again to seek the next “thing” they think will bring satisfaction. It is a never-ending cycle of wanting what is just out of reach, rather than taking pleasure in what is.

The “happiness industry” is the result of our belief that we are masters of our lives, and that we should be able to control our emotions and states of being. Unfortunately, anything that truly brings lasting contentment or authentic gratitude is more than likely not a “thing,” but an experience.

Decades Ago, Happiness Wasn’t Considered Something to Be “Bought”

Generations ago, happiness was not quantified or assumed to be a specific “place” that could be reached. People had less time and resources to devote to “personal enrichment”; they just got up each day, did what they were raised to do, and then got up the next day to do it again. Contentment was found in successfully doing what was required of them. Relationships, families, and communities (including spiritual /faith communities, neighborhoods, etc.) also played a larger part in an individual’s life. We are supposedly guaranteed the "pursuit" of happiness, but intrinsic emotional states cannot be "guaranteed" any more than one can guarantee freedom from fear .

Today, the value of individual achievement has created a society that seems intent on personal success above the greater good. Thus, people are somewhat “on their own” as they seek out ways to bring meaning to their lives and find happiness, however they define it.

Unfortunately, humans need healthy, authentic relationships and a support network of those who will love them unconditionally. We also need to feel that there is purpose in our existence and that we are contributing to something larger than ourselves. Without that sense of meaning, a connection to others, and an appreciation for what we have in life at this moment, contentment and happiness will never be experienced.

Perhaps the biggest misconception about happiness now is the belief that happiness is a “destination” or that happiness can be “bought.” It all sounds trite and a bit corny, but it is our journey through life and our experiences along the way that will truly yield feelings of contentment and satisfaction with our life.

LinkedIn image: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock

Suzanne Degges-White, Ph.D. , is a licensed counselor and professor at Northern Illinois University.

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Words of Encouragement: It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Christina Elem

“It’s about the journey not the destination.” I have heard this quote for most of my life and for a while it was hard to understand what it was trying to teach me. Now, it acts as a staple quote and a word of encouragement for my day-to-day life. 

For me, this quote means that the most useful part of life, or of any endeavor, is the work, the lessons, and the growth it takes to complete it. Sometimes we can focus too much on completing a task, getting to a certain place in our career, or having certain things in our lives that we don’t think about what it takes to get to the other side. It is the journey that gets us to the destination, but it’s also the part we live through the most. Focusing so much on the destination can prevent us from making the most out of our lives right now and enjoying the present moment. The hard part of living out this idea is being able to trust the process and have patience.

Taking this quote with me throughout my day-to-day has taught me to be present, be more grateful for the present moment as well as learn all that I can. I have always found that it made my days more fulfilling and I got more out of life once I made it to where I wanted to go. As a student, there are days where I want nothing more than to graduate and end my academic career to start my professional one, but I remember that this time is valuable too. I aim to make the most out of the harder seasons as best as I can and cherish the easier ones, but grow through all of it.

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Happiness is Not a Destination: How to Enjoy the Journey

What is happiness? Is it a destination or a journey? If happiness is a journey, then how do you focus on the journey, not the destination? And who said that happiness is a journey, not a destination? Which is a more important journey or destination when it comes to happiness?

We need to learn how to make the most of where we are today and enjoy the journey ; because If we spend our whole lives working, rushing and dashing, and trying to get to the ideal destination, we miss the journey getting there.

How to Enjoy the Journey When All You Want to Do is Reach Your Destination

If you’re not where you want to be in life, I want to let you know that, although the associated feelings may not be delightful, this is actually a good thing.

This means that you have aspirations and goals that you’re striving towards, and in striving towards them, you are growing and evolving into a better version of yourself.

All your wildest dreams just haven’t been realized yet , which may cause you to experience a bit of impatience and hopelessness, feelings that may be supplemented by inadequacy when you find yourself scrolling through other people’s highlight reels on social media. Having experienced this multiple times in my life, I’d like to share with you 4 lessons that I’ve learned along the way that may be useful for you on your journey.

1. Trust The Process

Several years ago, after one year out of the workforce, I decided that it was time to apply for jobs again. The job search process felt like an emotional roller coaster – I’d submit my resume, unsure of whether or not I’d hear back. When I heard back, I’d feel excited for the opportunity to go on an interview, and after the interview, I’d feel dejected because, through the interview, I realized that the company and I were not a good match for each other. This dragged on for weeks, which turned into months.

However, through the job search process, in order to keep myself grounded, I cultivated a daily meditation and yoga practice, which I maintain to this day. Had I secured a job right away and not gone through the emotional roller coaster, I probably would not have developed my personal mindfulness practice that has been a game-changer in my life. When I finally did land a job months later, it felt right –  it met every criteria I was looking for in a job.

2. Everything is Happening for You

When I was a college senior, I got a job in consulting through on-campus recruiting and was slated to join the Products & Services team at my firm. However, because I deferred my start date for a year, when I joined the firm a year later, there was no longer a need in Products & Services, and instead, I was placed on the Financial Services team, for which I had no interest.

In fact, I spent the bulk of my time at the firm trying to make an internal transfer to join another team where I felt like I could better leverage my skills and experiences.

Unfortunately, as I watched other people successfully transfer from one team to another, I was still stuck on the same team and wondered why I wasn’t able to do the same. My immediate thoughts were, “This sucks, and this isn’t fair.”

Then it dawned on me that if I’m unable to make an internal transfer, then maybe it’s time for me to look for another job outside of the firm.

Within weeks, I found a new job and moved to a company that was more aligned with what I studied and what I cared about.

With hindsight, I can see that it was a good thing that I was denied the internal transfer.

3. The World is an Abundant Place 

In college, I knew that there was only a limited number of seats available for coveted consulting jobs. So, if someone landed a spot, my chances just went down. As such, I believed that opportunities were hard to come by, and I developed a scarcity mindset .

I acknowledge that the job market may be tight and competitive at times. However, I also acknowledge that there are also 7.8 billion people globally, and with that many people, there are opportunities out there.

When we focus on the competition and how tight the job market is, life will become a self-fulfilling prophecy where we work to prove ourselves right. We focus on growth, so if we, instead, choose to focus on the fact that there are so many possibilities out there, some that we can’t even fathom right now, our minds will subconsciously work in ways to find those opportunities.

4. Everything has Always Worked Out, and It Will Continue to Do So

I was incredibly stressed out in high school and obsessed over every paper, quiz, and exam. If I could go back in time and visit my high school self, I’d tell her to stop worrying so much about getting into college, that everything will work out!

I was also very stressed out as a college senior because I was worried about my employment prospects. If I could go back in time and visit my college self, I’d also tell her to stop worrying so much about getting a job, that everything will work out!

When we are caught in the thick of things, it feels like we’re drowning in our worries, and it’s hard to come up for a breath of air and notice the horizon beyond where we currently are.

Perhaps you’ve felt stuck in the same place for a long time, worried if things will change. I promise you that the efforts that you’re making are propelling you forward, even if the results are not yet evident.

Your progress is inevitable – you may not see clear results tomorrow or the next day. However, a year from now, you’ll be at a much different place, where you’ll be able to look back and see how all that worrying was for nothing. When you trust that you’ll reach your destination, you’ll learn to enjoy the ride getting there.

photo source | adobe 

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Why Do We Say, ‘Life Is a Journey Not a Destination’?

No one else will live the same life as you because there is no one like you. Therefore, we say “life is a journey, not a destination” because it reminds us that life is an ongoing journey of learning and growing.

A common saying spoken is “life is a journey, not a destination.” This is a very popular phrase that is used across the world. If a person hears this saying often or it becomes overused, it can lose its effect.

The phrase “life is a journey, not a destination” is meant to be impactful and encouraging, but why do we say this phrase?

The Journey of Life

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, is credited with the phrase “life is a journey, not a destination.” These words are true because life is a journey, not a destination. Life is an ongoing journey. A destination is a place you arrive at or an endpoint.

Life has no arrival or final destination. Life is an ongoing journey and adventure. Throughout our lives, we are going to be constantly traveling, maturing in our faith, and growing older.

When we are living our daily lives, it is important that we step back from the hectic rush of life and truly enjoy the journey. Our journeys in our lives help us grow into the people we become.

In our Christian walks, we need to be striving to include Jesus in every aspect of our journeys of life. The Bible tells us we are only pilgrims on this earth. C. S. Lewis often spoke about how we as humans are only pilgrims passing through on our way to be with the Lord.

Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Our lives are our journeys, yet our final destination is heaven.

During our earthly lives, we will never land at our final destination. As long as we have breath in our lungs, God still has a purpose for our lives.

God is constantly telling individuals throughout the Bible to “go” ( Matthew 28:18-20 ; Genesis 12:1 ). Throughout our lives, God wants us to keep going and to share the gospel with others as well as to disciple them and help them grow in their faith.

The Christian faith is truly a journey, and it is a hard one. Many individuals believe after one becomes a Christian that their life will automatically be made all better.

While life does get better after becoming a Christian because you know Christ, it does not automatically fix all of your problems.

In other words, the Christian life is a hard journey filled with many ups and downs. John Bunyan’s novel The Pilgrim’s Progress  does a fantastic job of illustrating the journey of life for a Christian.

The journey of life becomes extremely difficult at times, but God walks with us through every step ( Psalm 23 ). In our own pilgrimages, we need to lean on God and trust Him.

He truly does know what is best and we can fully trust Him. We have nothing to be afraid of because God loves us, and He will direct every step of our life if we allow Him ( Proverbs 3:5-6 ).

The Final Destination

The final destination of our lives lies in our own hands. Our eternal fate lies before us. It is up to us whether we decide to accept Jesus or not.

Throughout our lives, it does not matter how many “good deeds” we do if we do not know Christ. Our goodwill never outweighs our bad. Paul tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” ( Romans 3:23 ).

As human beings, we need to carefully examine ourselves and see if we have placed faith in Christ. We can have amazing lives by our own standards, but if we don’t know Christ and we never lived for Him, our lives would not be pleasing to the Lord.

The world tries to tell us that our final destination is our job, finding the right spouse, or buying a huge house, but that’s not true.

This way of thinking causes individuals to have an incorrect view of life as they will always be striving for their “final destination” rather than living the journey of their life for Christ.

6 Ways to Create and Cultivate Christ-Centered Friendships

It is a dangerous business to live our lives for ourselves and neglect Jesus’ influence in our lives. As Christians, it is important to know that our final destination is with Christ in heaven, but the journey of life is just as important.

The journey of our lives is beautiful and if we live our lives for Jesus, we will have the most joy in the Lord and we will make a difference for His Kingdom.

Why Do We Say It?

We say “life is a journey, not a destination” because life is the journey and through life, we learn and grow into the people we become. This phrase can also be used to tell loved ones when they are going through a difficult time in their lives.

We need to remember that our lives are a journey and there will be highs and lows. There will be sunny days full of happiness and there will be days of rainstorms and pain.

The beautiful thing about life’s journey is that it is ongoing, and we are constantly learning and growing with every breath we take — through the smiles and the tears.

As we grow older, we can reflect on the past and see just how far we have come in our journey, and look ahead to our continued journey of life. The journey of life continues until we are in the presence of the Lord.

God has created each of us uniquely with a unique purpose for our lives. Throughout our lives’ journey, He is going to have us complete His purpose for our lives. Even when our journey gets hard, we don’t need to give up.

Instead, we need to keep traveling through our pilgrimage ( 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 ). In your own personal life journey, stay focused on Christ and keep your eyes fixed on Him. The Bible tells us,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross , scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God ( Hebrews 12:1-2 ).

Jesus knows life gets arduous, which is why He wants us to come to Him ( Matthew 11:28-30 ). Turn to God today, trust Him, and rely on Him in your daily pilgrimage.

Life is a beautiful journey, and we need to take in every second of it. Our time with our loved ones is precious and every second matters.

It is easy to take life for granted until it slips out of our reach, or we are faced with a terminal illness. In your own life, serve God through the journey and He will lead you exactly where He needs you to be and what He wants you to do. Your life is beautiful and unique.

No one else will live the same life as you because there is no one like you. Therefore, we say “life is a journey, not a destination” because it reminds us that life is an ongoing journey of learning and growing. Life is not a final destination because, without the journey, there would not be a life.

For further reading:

What Is the Meaning of Life?

The Non-Linear Christian Life

Is it Biblical ‘Where God Guides, He Provides’?

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Ben Taylor

4 Ways Christian Faith Shatters Mental Health Myths and Builds Hope

How Natural Disasters and Current Events Relate to Biblical End-Times Prophecies

7 Essential Questions to Ask Jehovah’s Witness Friends

12 Beautiful Prayers for Mother's Day

Morning Prayers to Start Your Day with God

Is Masturbation a Sin?

The Best Birthday Prayers to Celebrate Friends and Family 

It is never too late to repent of any area in which pride has been your motivation and decide to live your life on the foundation of grace. It is never too late to posture your heart to receive the depths of love and mercy your heavenly Father longs to give you.

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Journey vs destination: how to stay present.

• March 10, 2020
• Kendra Sand
• Social Science

Written by Tianna Zachariah

When I think of  journey , I immediately think of  destination . Think about it. Whenever a friend tells you they’re going on a vacation, a trip, or a journey of any kind, what’s the first question you ask? “Amazing! Where are you going ?” Then they usually respond with a destination. Hawaii, California, the mountains, maybe even Target. This also applies to other areas of our lives, from education to work, relationship status to self-help goals. Learn the difference between journey vs destination and ideas for how to stay present at any stage of the process.

So, how do we define and understand the relationship between journey vs destination? Which is more important? Which comes first? How can we enjoy and experience both at the same time? And, can we be more present and engaged in the now along the way?

If you think about any good story , we relate to it and we enjoy it because there is an end goal. There is always something clear that is needed or wanted. But if you look closely at those good stories, the destination is usually only one page or one chapter long, sometimes even one sentence. The juice of the story is in the quest. It’s in the journey. It’s the in-between stages that pave the road from where we are to where we want to be. 

Journey vs Destination: Don’t Overlook the Process

As great, important, and necessary as the destination is, I think too many times we get so caught up in where we want to end up that we completely overlook the process that gets us there. We want so badly to just be there that we forget about what it feels like to be here. Even though it’s so important where we want to go, it’s the journey that makes our stories great. It’s the process that prepares us in all the right ways for the vision that we see clearly at the beginning of every great venture. 

Also, when we are hyper-focused on the destination that can enable a rigid mentality within us. Sometimes as we go along a journey, the destination might change.

If we’re so focused on the destination we have in our minds, we don’t allow ourselves the flexibility and the openness to accept necessary detours that might, in the end, alter our destination.

I’ve heard it said that the journey is the destination. If that’s true, there could be nothing more in our favor than to hold this journey that we’re on with open hands—not only allowing changes that we didn’t expect but sometimes inviting them in. 

The Journey: How to Stay Present

Let’s explore this idea of the journey I’ve created a few challenges that remind us to stay present. These are things you can do every day to cultivate a little more presence on the journey you find yourself on.

1. Slow Down, On Purpose

We live in a time where we are constantly encouraged and admired when we struggle, strive, and live a busy life. But going from back-to-back activities without taking the time to breathe and relish in the moments, we are not allowing ourselves to live life. I truly believe that when we don’t take our time, we end up showing up for our commitments and our people at less than 100 percent. Since we live in a culture that glorifies exhaustion, it’s uncomfortable when we take things slow.

When we take our time, we feel like we’re doing something wrong, or we feel guilty because there is always so much to do. If there is time, we will find ways to fill it up. But what if we didn’t? How different would our world and personal lives look if we simply sat in the discomfort of leisure?

Right now, the world could use more people that slow down, on purpose. Stand in the long line at the grocery store, ride in the slow lane, walk to a favorite spot on the weekends. 

Do the things that force you into the pace that demands you be here, wherever here is. 

2. Recognize That You’re Living the Good Old Days, Right Now 

If we took some time to think, we all could come up with a moment in our lives that we look back on and remember with joy, even though at the time, it was a hard situation. We’re able to look back and realize the contribution it made to our now and see it as something we wouldn’t want to miss. We look back and see them as the good old days. But these don’t have to be the good old days someday, they can be the good old days today. 

We can choose to see hard situations as necessary grooves in the concrete that pave the road to our desired destinations. 

Alternatively, we can choose to truly enjoy the good days when they are upon us. 

3. Pack Light

A long journey requires endurance. Endurance demands lightness. We all know the textbook over-packer. Maybe that person is you. It’s important to remember that on any journey, you will have what you need when you need it. 

We cannot control everything, and we cannot prepare for things that are way out of our reach or the steps ahead on our timeline. Each step of the journey will change us, and in order for us to adapt to the changes well, we need to pack light—meaning that we can’t take everything with us on every journey. 

We must take only what we need right now and trust that what we need will be given to us the moment it’s needed. This demands that we stay present to what each step of the journey requires from us. 

If it’s something we must provide, we should give it willingly, and if it’s something that is gifted to us for the next step, we must receive it fully. In order to receive a gift well, we need to have the capacity to hold it, which means that we must not bring everything with us—only the essentials.

Get Curious 

The relationship between the journey and the destination is one that we must get curious about. Teju Ravilochan, in his talk titled “What Love Can Teach Us About Tackling the Impossible,”  shares this story about a mathematician that changed history. He tells about the destination and the three-year journey that led this man to his legacy-leaving destination. Teju mentions that this man had passion. Passion is Latin and it means suffering .

The journeys that we find ourselves on are often driven by passion. They are sometimes laborious and cause us unbearable suffering. 

I think that’s why so many times we choose to focus solely on the destination. In our dreams, the destination is not painful. Rather, it’s where we arrive once we’ve been through the pain. 

But, the three years that this man spent laboring and working and fighting for his goal, was just as important if not more important than the one day of glory that he lived, because it instilled in him a love of the journey. It created in him a joy of the process. And, if we choose to look at our journey’s this way, it can do the same for us.

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71+ Best Destination Quotes To Help You Enjoy The Journey

Best Destination Quotes

Destination quotes, journey and destination quotes, destination quotes from movies, book quotes on destination.

Life is a journey and everyone has a destination.

Travelling and journeying to a specific place also requires a destination. Even though it's said that the journey is the important part, we most definitely enjoy the destination too.

We always fix a destination before going on a journey. So, it's the most important part. In the same way in life, we have goals.

If you think life to be a journey, then those goals are our destination and it's equally important to have them. Otherwise we are lost in life. Read up on these destination quotes below to know more about it.

If you liked our destination quotes go check out funny travel quotes and live in the moment quotes.

Travel around the world and reaching one's destination is the best feeling. Here we have the best and most beautiful of destination quotes like from Martin Buber and more for your every day inspirational dose.

1. "Perfection is a road, not a destination. Every time I live, I get an education."

- Burk Hudson.

2. "Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life."

- Burton Hill.

3. "Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come."

- Zig Zigler.

4. "The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination."

- Carl Rogers.

5. "My destination is no longer a place, rather a new way of seeing."

- Marcel Proust.

6. "You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight."

- Jim Rohn.

7. "You will reach your destination even though you travel slowly."

- Icelandic Proverb.

8. "You have a destination far beyond where you find yourself standing today."

- Guy Finley.

9. "One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things."

- Henry Miller.

10. "I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."

- Jimmy Dean.

11. "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."

- Maya Angelou.

12. "All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination."

- Earl Nightingale.

13. "The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it."

- Charles DeLint.

14. "When you lost sight of your path, listen for the destination in your heart."

- Allen Walker, 'D-gray Man'.

15. "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."

- Martin Buber.

The path to one's destination is not easy and change on it is the only constant. These positive destination quotes below depicts that change and importance of destination.

16. "You are the grim, goal-oriented ones who will not believe that the joy is in the journey rather than the destination no matter how many times it has been proven to you."

- Stephen King.

17. "Death is the destination we all share, no one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be because death is very likely the single best invention of life."

- Steve Jobs.

18. "The development of our minds and our destination in future lives is in our hands. No one else can help us. It is very important that we each take responsibility for ourselves. Sustain mindfulness 24 hours a day."

- Tenzin Gyatso.

19. "Success is not a destination, but the road that you're on. Being successful means that you're working hard and walking your walk every day."

- Marlon Wayans.

20. "You too can determine what you want. You can decide on your major objectives, targets, aim and destination."

- W. Clement Stone.

21. "Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books that were written because authors couldn't find anyone to talk to."

- Alain de Botton.

22. "It's not the destination that matters. It's the change of scene."

- Brian Eno.

23. "What keeps you going isn't some fine destination but just the road you're on, and the fact that you know how to drive."

- Barbara Kingsolver.

24. "In this respect early youth is exactly like old age; it is a time of waiting for a big trip to an unknown destination. The chief difference is that youth waits for the morning limited and age waits for the night train."

- Bruce Catton.

25. "Certain things are common. And we do learn things from each other's experience. On a spiritual journey, we all have the same destination."

- A. R. Rahman.

26. "You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks."

- Winston Churchill.

27. "Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all."

- Garrett Hardin.

28. "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination."

- Christopher Columbus.

29. "Follow what you are genuinely passionate about and let that guide you to your destination."

- Diane Sawyer.

30. "Writers and travelers are mesmerized alike by knowing of their destinations."

- Eudora Welty.

31. "Everything happening around me is very random. I am enjoying the phase, as the journey is far more enjoyable than the destination."

- Sushant Singh Rajput.

Journeys are a part and end step of the way to destination. Here's some journey not the destination quotes and why do we travel quotes that you'll love.

32. "Winning and losing isn’t everything; sometimes, the journey is just as important as the outcome."

- Alex Morgan.

33. "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

- T. S. Eliot.

34. "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination and the journey. They are home."

- Anna Quindlen.

35. "The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination."

- Marion Zimmer Bradley.

36. "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."

- Ursula K. Leguin.

37. "Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going."

- Paul Theroux.

38. "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

- Greg Anderson.

39. "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."

- Yogi Berra.

40. "Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time."

- Lyndon B. Johnson.

41. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Watch your step."

42. "Sometimes, it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination."

43. "The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination."

- Don Williams Jr.

44. "Focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination."

- Chris Hadfield.

45. "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome."

- Arthur Ashe.

46. "We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, we are confident and believe we are going to succeed."

- Orison Swett Marden.

There's a been quite a few movies about destination like, 'Destination Wedding' quotes and more.

47. "Death... doesn't like to be cheated."

- William Bludworth, 'Final Destination 5', 2011.

48. "There are seven billion people in the world. So when one of them behaves badly toward you, he's actually doing you a great favor because he's saving you time. He's telling you that he's not worth your while."

- Frank , 'Destination Wedding', 2018.

49. "General Thayer: On the Moon! Jim, Doc, we're on the Moon!

Joe Sweeney: And we're alive - holy cow! General, the next time you tell me you can get to the Moon, I'll believe you!"

- 'Destination Moon', 1950.

50. "I'm going to make the most of every moment I have left. So I'm gonna do what I do best … If I'm dying, I'm trying."

- Hunt Wynorski, 'The Final Destination', 2009.

51. "It's human nature to find pain in any situation however relatively fortunate."

- Lindsay, 'Destination Wedding', 2018.

52. "By the grace of God, and the name of the United States of America, I take possession of this planet on behalf of, and for the benefit of, all mankind."

- Dr. Charles Cargraves, 'Destination Moon', 1950.

53. "Equal... in death's eyes? All of us? How can you say that? Dude, think it through: Charlie Manson, made it to 70. Where's the equality in that?"

- Ian McKinley, 'Final Destination 3', 2006.

54. "I consider it a triumph of the will that there aren't shallow graves dotting my back yard."

- Frank, 'Destination Wedding', 2018.

55. "I can remember a time when every city street would lead me back to you. When the road signs guided me home and I was never lost."

- Jon, 'Destination Anywhere', 1997.

56. "Some people say there's a balance to everything. For every life there's a death, for every death, there is a life. But the introduction of life that was not meant to be, that can invalidate the list, force Death to start anew."

- William Bludworth, 'Final Destination 2', 2003.

57. "Lindsay: Why didn't we meet seven years ago?

Frank: Just lucky I guess."

- 'Destination Wedding', 2018.

58. "Life is about courage and going into the unknown."

- Cheryl, 'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty', 2013.

59. "In death there are no accidents, no coincidences, no mishaps, and no escapes."

- Bludworth, 'Final Destination 1', 2000.

60. "I believe that there is nobody for anyone."

61. "To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life."

- Walter Mitty, 'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty', 2013.

Lastly we have some quotes on destination from various books.

62. "Even at time of fear and uncertainty, I never went to the darkness. Light was always my destination- the light at the end of the tunnel."

- Chaker Khazaal, 'Ouch!'.

63. "When things don’t go as planned in the journey to your destination, don’t give up. Defy defeat. Resist submission. Hold onto hope."

64. "Uninvited guests may force you to take an unplanned trip to an unknown destination; doesn’t hurt to be in your Sunday clothes."

- Anurag Shourie, 'Half A Shadow'.

65. "I don't know whether you can look at your past and find … the path that will point to your final destination."

- Jodi Picoult, 'Handle With Care'.

66. "When you establish a destination by defining what you want, then take physical action by making choices that move you towards that destination, the possibility for success is limitless and arrival at the destination is inevitable."

- Steve Maraboli, 'Life, The Truth, And Being Free'.

67. "Having a goal with no plan of action is like wanting to travel to a new destination without having a map."

68. "She was my destination. I was always on the way to Lena, even when I wasn't. Even when she wasn't on her way to me."

- Kami Garcia, 'Beautiful Darkness'.

69. "Even a snail will eventually reach its destination."

- Gail Tsukiyama, 'The Street Of A Thousand Blossoms'.

70. "I made up my mind not to care so much about the destination, and simply enjoy the journey."

- David Archuleta, 'Chords Of Strength'.

71. "There’s something about arriving in new cities, wandering empty streets with no destination."

- Charlotte Eriksson, 'Empty Roads And Broken Bottles: In Search For The Great Perhaps'.

Here at Kidadl , we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for destination quotes then why not take a look at study abroad quotes , or find yourself quotes ?

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With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.

3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.

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Enjoy The Journey Quotes

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Take pride in how far you've come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don't forget to enjoy the journey.

Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey.

Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

When you are a young person, you are like a young creek, and you meet many rocks, many obstacles and difficulties on your way. You hurry to get past these obstacles and get to the ocean. But as the creek moves down through the fields, it becomes larges and calmer and it can enjoy the reflection of the sky. It's wonderful. You will arrive at the sea anyway so enjoy the journey. Enjoy the sunshine, the sunset, the moon, the birds, the trees, and the many beauties along the way. Taste every moment of your daily life.

Enjoy the journey, because the destination is a mirage.

Don't be so busy making a living that you forget how to live. Work hard to be successful, but enjoy the journey.

I don't have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect and beautiful journey of my life.

Keep your eye on the prize but enjoy the journey.

I made up my mind not to care so much about the destination, and simply enjoy the journey.

Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame.

Slow down and enjoy the journey right now. Take time for the people in your life. They won't always be there.

You can achieve all the things you want to do, but it's much better to do it with loved ones around you; family and friends, people that you care about that can help you on the way and can celebrate you, and you can enjoy the journey.

Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak.

Dream big . . . don't let anybody or anything break your wishbone. Stay strong, full of faith, and courageous... keep that backbone straight. And along the way, don't forget to laugh and enjoy the journey.

That’s why it is important to enjoy the journey not just the destination. In this world, we will never arrive at a place where everything is perfect and we have no more challenges. As admirable as setting goals and reaching them maybe, you can’t get so focused on accomplishing your goals that you make the mistake of not enjoying where you are right now.

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

The trick, my brethren and sisters is to enjoy the journey, traveling hand in hand, in sunshine and storm, as companions who love one another.

Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I'm also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.

Send the light of your own loving ahead of you. When you get there, the loving will have prepared a place for you. Be kind, gentle, and enjoy the journey.

Never be afraid to learn. Have a good amount of resilience and enjoy the journey.

We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.

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“Life is a journey, not a destination.”

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How Should Christians Respond to ‘Life Is a Journey, Not a Destination?’

• Cindi McMenamin Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
• Updated Apr 26, 2021

When your plans get foiled, you find yourself on a detour, or you are smack dab in the middle of troubles, you may hear a well-meaning friend try to comfort you or steer you in the right direction with the phrase, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”

While that motto might seem like encouragement to hang in there and focus more on your present than your future, it can also steer you wrong if you start to live by it. Yes, life is a journey with its ups and downs. But if we lose sight of our ultimate destination, our journey through life’s challenges becomes meaningless. When you and I stop thinking of our final destination as believers, we will miss the opportunities throughout life that God gives us to refine our character, give Him glory, share Him with others, and ultimately prepare us for our eternity with Him in heaven.

What Does “Life Is a Journey, Not a Destination” Mean?

This well-worn maxim originated from American author Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote in his essay, Self-Reliance : “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” His essay, intended to convince people to avoid conformity, stressed that for one to truly be significant he or she had to follow their own conscience and “do your own thing.” He contended that the process of creating is its own reward and that we can only feel relieved and happy in life when we pour our hearts into our work and do our best. Anything less will give us no peace, he wrote.

The mere fact that the quote comes from a position of relying on self should warn any believer that it runs contrary to what the Bible teaches about relying on God. The quote, in essence, implies that a journey is to have a goal in life and hopes to obtain that goal, but if you don’t then you can just enjoy an average life. A destination, on the other hand, is a concrete goal in which one will do whatever it takes to get there. In other words, if you set out to drive from California to New York and you’re focused on the destination, you’ll eventually get there. But if you choose to be more intent on the journey, itself, it’s possible you may get distracted and settle somewhere in the Midwest, causing you to never see or experience the East Coast at all.

What Does the Bible Say about Our Lives and Our Real Home As Christians?

Colossians 3:1-2 tells us to be heavenly minded, focused on our eternal home: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (NKJV).

Jesus told us to invest in heaven – our destination – when He warned: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” ( Matthew 6:19-21 ). He knew that whatever we spent our time, money, and effort on would eventually win our hearts. He didn’t want us to become distracted with the things of this world and losing sight of our eternal destination.

Jesus also told a parable in Matthew 25:14-30 about the importance of investing well what God has given us on this earth because it will impact our eternal rewards and in some cases, our final destination.

“do their own thing” and go the way that most others are going and it will mean death and destruction. He urged that we not live for the here and now, nor follow where the crowd is going, but be careful to enter the “narrow gate.” In case there was any doubt where that narrow gate was, Jesus said in John 10:9 that He was the gate: “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus also said in John 14:6 that He was the only way to heaven: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

How Should Christians Respond to “Life Is a Journey, Not a Destination?”

When someone tells you “life is a journey, not a destination,” they may very well be encouraging you to take time to smell the flowers, to bloom where you are planted, and to not be so focused on the end result that you miss the lessons and pleasures along the way. It’s true that we are to pay attention to what God is doing in our everyday life, as He refines us through our circumstances. Yet, life is very much about our destination, and the challenges we face are meant to prepare us for it.

Philippians 3:13-14 tells us to forget what lies behind (our baggage from the past), reach forward to what lies ahead (our eternal home), and “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” That means, keep your eyes on the prize: your calling to serve and glorify God and spend eternity with Him. After all, we were created to love God and enjoy Him forever.

You can still enjoy the journey, learn from the journey, and allow God to shape and refine you on the journey. But don’t lose sight of where you are headed. There are not many roads to heaven and multiple ways to find God’s favor. Jesus said there was one  way – and it was through Him . Keep your eyes on that door and it will lead you to a destination of joy. Psalm 16:11 says, “In [His] presence is fullness of joy; At [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

For more on growing in your faith and relationship with God so you can dwell in His presence forever, see Cindi’s books, Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs ,  and    Women on the Edge .

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Traveling With Dogs: Tricks and Tips for a Smooth Journey

B ringing your dog along for a vacation can make the experience even more enjoyable for the whole family. But before you hit the road and start traveling with dogs, it’s essential to consider the extra planning and preparation that is necessary for their health and safety during the trip. 

Keep in mind, not all dogs enjoy traveling, and some may not be in the right mental or physical shape for it. It’s necessary to have a plan in place to ensure that your dog is comfortable and safe throughout the journey.

From finding the right travel crate to ensuring your dog has proper identification, to planning out your hotel stays, I’ll walk you through all the necessary steps to make your vacation with your dog a truly memorable and enjoyable one.

Schedule a Pre-Trip Vet Checkup

Before embarking on an adventure with your dog, it’s a good idea to schedule a visit to the vet to ensure that they are in good health and ready for travel.

This visit not only allows you to ensure that all vaccinations are up-to-date and that your dog is in good physical shape, and gives you an opportunity to discuss any concerns or special needs your dog may have when it comes to traveling. 

For example, your dog may have a fear of flying or may have a medical condition that makes flying unsafe, so your best bet would be a road trip with your dog instead, If you are flying with your dog, the airlines will require a health inspection, generally within 10 days of travel, so make sure you time things correctly! 

Your vet will be able to advise you on how to handle these situations and give you peace of mind that you and your dog are ready for the journey. They can review if anxiety medication would be a good idea for your dog if they struggle with car rides.

By having a pre-trip vet check-up, you will be able to be proactive in case your dog has any health issues that may arise during the trip. This will allow you to take action immediately, avoiding potential complications and making sure that your dog receives the best care possible.

Plan For Medical Emergencies

When traveling with your dog, be prepared for any emergency or health-related issues that may arise. First, make sure you have your pet’s medical records with you. This includes their vaccinations, medication and any other relevant information that a veterinary professional might need to know.

Have the contact information of at least one veterinarian in the area where you will be staying so you can get help quickly if needed. You can research the location of the nearest 24-hour veterinary emergency hospital at your destination and save the number in your phone or screenshot their phone number so you aren’t scrambling in an actual emergency.

Pack a doggy first aid kit that includes items such as bandages and antiseptic ointment. Bring any medications that your pet is currently taking and make sure they are properly labeled in case there are any mix-ups.

Having a plan in place is not only about being prepared for the worst-case scenario, it’s also about being able to enjoy your vacation without stressing about your dog’s well-being if they get into something they shouldn’t!

You can have peace of mind knowing that you are prepared for any situation that may arise, and you can focus on enjoying the journey with your dog. In case of an emergency, your dog will receive the best care possible, and you will be able to act quickly and efficiently thanks to the information and resources you have at hand.

Prep With The Right Travel Essentials 

When traveling with your dog, bring along all the essentials to ensure their comfort and well-being during the trip. This includes bringing along a supply of their regular food, plenty of water, as well as any medications they may require. 

You’ll need to consider the type of travel you will be doing and bring any necessary items such as a crate for air travel or a dog seatbelt for car travel.

Bringing along your dog’s favorite toy or their comfortable bed can help them feel more at home and reduce anxiety in unfamiliar surroundings. Bring extra poop bags for accidents and potty breaks. Traveling can be rough on all of our tummies, including our dogs, who often have no idea what’s going on!

Remember that traveling with a dog is not just about bringing the essentials, it’s also about making sure your pup is comfy and happy throughout the journey. By bringing their favorite toy or a comfortable mat, you can create a sense of familiarity and make the trip less stressful for them.

Using Crates for Safe Travel

The advantages of using a crate for travel.

When traveling with your dog, a crate can provide a number of benefits to ensure their safety and comfort. For air travel, a crate is often a mandatory requirement, and it can be used as a safe space for your dog while in a hotel or at a host’s home.

 Crates can also be used during car travel, providing a safe and secure environment for your dog while in transit . After flying Roxy and Rico from Alaska to Colorado, we started taking them on tons of road trips.

Using a crate makes life easier as they’re used to them, it keeps them a bit more safe in case of an accident, and helps reduce their reactivity to situations like when our car was completely surrounded by mountain sheep at Mount Evans! 

Using a crate allows you to have peace of mind knowing that your dog is safe and secure. In case of an emergency, the crate can act as a barrier and protect them from any potential hazards.

Crates provide a familiar space for your dog, reducing their anxiety and stress while traveling. It’s a place where they can retreat to and feel safe and secure. Roxy and Rico are so much calmer in their crates than when we travel without them.

Dog crates can a helpful training tool for your dog. By gradually getting them used to the crate before the trip, it can make the transition to travel smoother and less stressful for them.

How To Pick The Right Dog Crate

When selecting a crate for travel with your dog, consider certain criteria to ensure safety, comfort, and compliance with travel regulations. The crate should be large enough for your dog to stand, turn, and lie down comfortably, and be made of strong materials and free of any interior protrusions that could harm your dog.

A leak-proof bottom covered with absorbent material and ventilation on opposing sides is also important for your dog’s well-being. When we travel with Roxy and Rico, we use a crate mattress like this one for them to be comfortable.

When purchasing a crate for air travel, make sure that it complies with airline requirements to ensure that your dog can travel safely and comfortably.

Identification and Recovery Measures

Identifying your dog while traveling is essential in case they get lost or separated from you. A sturdy leash and collar with identification tags are a must-have when traveling with your dog.

The collar should have identification tags with the dog’s name, your name, and your phone number and address. Some places require a rabies tag on there as well, so be mindful of that if it’s required at your home or your destination.

Remember that collars and leashes not only serve as a means of identification but also as a means of control and safety. A sturdy leash and collar can prevent your dog from running away or getting into dangerous situations.

Practice using the leash and collar before your trip. By getting your dog used to wearing it and walking on a leash, you can make the transition to traveling smoother and less stressful for them.

By having proper identification on your dog and getting them used to their collar and leash, you can greatly increase the chances of recovery in case of separation and ensure their safety while traveling.

Permanent Identification – Microchips

While collars and leashes can provide temporary identification for your dog, permanent forms of identification can offer added peace of mind and increase the chances of recovery in case of separation.

Microchipping is a safe and permanent method of identification that involves inserting a small chip under your dog’s skin. This chip contains a unique identification number that can be scanned by veterinarians and animal shelters, making it easier to reunite lost pets with their owners.

Furthermore, microchipping is a one-time procedure that doesn’t require any maintenance and it can last the entire life of your pet. It provides a layer of protection against theft and lost as well as offering an additional way to prove ownership.

Update your contact information with the microchip registry as soon as possible after any changes in your contact information. This way, if your dog is ever lost and found, they can be quickly and easily returned to you.

By microchipping, you can greatly increase the chances of recovery in case of separation and ensure the safety of your pet.

Photo and Health Records

When traveling with your dog, it’s essential to have a recent photo of your pet and their health records on hand. A clear and current photo of your dog can greatly assist in identifying them in case they get lost or separated from you. This will help shelters and rescue organizations to identify your dog and reunite them with you as soon as possible.

Having a copy of your dog’s health records can be extremely helpful in case of an emergency. This includes vaccinations, medications, and any known health conditions. This information can be used to make sure that your dog is in compliance with any travel regulations and can provide vital information to veterinarians in case of an emergency.

Keep a copy of these records in a safe place, such as your email, a cloud-based storage, or with a trusted friend or family member, so that you have access to them even if you lose your original copies.

Our Dog Health & Wellness Journal has everything you need to keep your dog happy, healthy, and safe. It’s perfect for bringing along when you travel, so you have all your dog’s vital information handy. Grab it on Amazon here!

C. Crate Preparation

Preparing your dog’s crate for travel is just as important as selecting the right crate. By stocking the crate with familiar items such as a comfortable mat, your dog’s favorite toy, and a water bottle, you can create a sense of familiarity and comfort for your dog. This can greatly reduce their anxiety and stress while traveling.

Make sure the crate is clean and free of any debris or odors. This can help prevent any potential health issues and ensure that your dog has a clean and comfortable environment while traveling.

Get your dog used to the crate before the trip. By gradually introducing them to the crate and allowing them to explore it at their own pace, you can help them become more comfortable with it. This can make the transition to traveling smoother and less stressful for them.

Overall, by properly preparing the crate and getting your dog used to it, you can create a sense of familiarity and comfort for them during travel. This can greatly reduce their stress and anxiety, making the trip more enjoyable for everyone.

Traveling by Car

Familiarization with the car.

When it comes to traveling with your dog by car, prepare them for the experience in advance. One of the best ways to do this is by familiarizing your dog with the car. This can be done by letting them sit in the car with you without leaving the driveway, and then going for short rides.

By doing this, your dog can become accustomed to the sights, sounds, and smells of the car, reducing their stress levels when it comes time for the actual trip. This process can be beneficial for dogs with car sickness, as they can get used to the motion of the car before the longer trip.

Make sure that your dog is comfortable in the car. You can do this by providing them with a comfortable mat or blanket, and their favorite toy. This will help create a familiar and safe space for your dog and make the trip more pleasant for them.

Overall, by familiarizing your dog with the car and making sure they’re comfortable, you can greatly reduce their stress levels and make the trip more enjoyable for both you and your pup.

Carsickness Prevention

Carsickness is a common issue that can affect dogs, just as it can affect humans. It can cause them to feel nauseous and can make the car ride an unpleasant experience for both you and your dog. To prevent carsickness, take steps to make the car ride as comfortable as possible for your dog.

One way to do this is by feeding your dog a light meal before the trip, this way they will not have a full stomach and it will reduce the chances of them getting carsick. Providing plenty of fresh water for your dog during the trip will help them stay hydrated.

Make sure that the car is well-ventilated, this way your dog can breathe fresh air, which can help reduce the chances of carsickness. If your dog is traveling in a crate, make sure that the crate is well-ventilated, this way fresh air can flow in and out.

If your dog is prone to carsickness, you may want to consider consulting with your veterinarian to see if there are any medications that can help prevent carsickness.

Overall, by taking steps to prevent carsickness, you can make the car ride a more comfortable experience for your dog and ensure that both you and your dog enjoy the trip.

Keeping your dog safe while traveling by car is crucial for a successful and enjoyable trip. One of the most important things to consider is using a crate or a dog seat belt to keep your dog secure. This not only protects your dog in the event of an accident, and prevents them from distracting you while driving.

Another safety measure is to never let your dog ride with his head sticking out of an open window. This can lead to eye injuries and other accidents. Never let your dog ride in the back of an open truck. This is extremely dangerous and can lead to severe injuries or death.

Make frequent stops for exercise and potty breaks. This will not only keep your dog happy and healthy, and give you a chance to stretch your legs. Be sure to clean up after your dog and always supervise them during these breaks.

Lastly, never leave your dog unattended in a closed vehicle, particularly in the summer. The temperature inside a closed car can quickly become dangerous for your dog.

Overall, by following these safety measures, you can ensure that your dog is protected and secure during the car ride and make the trip a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Safety Tips

In addition to using a crate or seat belt, and avoiding open windows and truck beds, there are other safety tips to keep in mind when traveling with your dog in the car.

One of the most important tips is to make sure that your dog is well-trained and obedient. This way, they will follow your commands and stay calm during the car ride.

Another tip is to instruct your children not to tease or annoy the dog in the car. Car rides can be boring for everyone, and a frustrated dog can become a safety hazard.

Be aware of the weather conditions and plan accordingly. If it’s hot outside, be sure to bring plenty of water for your dog and make frequent stops to let them cool down. If it’s cold, make sure your dog is properly insulated and protected from the cold.

Be aware of the laws and regulations regarding traveling with dogs in your destination state or country. This will help you to avoid any legal issues and ensure that your dog is safe and comfortable during the trip.

Overall, by keeping these safety tips in mind, you can ensure that your dog is safe and secure during the car ride and make the trip a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions About Traveling With Dogs

How do i know if a hotel is truly pet friendly.

Traveling with your pet can be a great experience for both of you, but make sure that the places you’re staying are actually pet friendly. After all, you don’t want to end up in a situation where your pet is not welcome. So, how do you know if a hotel is truly pet friendly?

The first step is to check the hotel’s website or call ahead to confirm their policies. Most hotels will have information on their website regarding whether pets are allowed, and any fees associated with bringing a pet along.

They may have restrictions on the size and type of animal that they allow, so be sure to read through these carefully. It’s worth inquiring if there are any nearby parks or green spaces that would be suitable for walking your dog or letting them exercise.

In addition to checking the hotel’s policies, you should consider other travelers’ experiences with the hotel. Look for reviews online from people who have stayed at the hotel with their pets and find out what their overall experience was like.

This could give you an idea of how accommodating the staff were and whether there were any issues during their stay. It may help you identify potential problems before booking a room at the hotel; such as noisy rooms and lack of amenities specifically tailored for pets.

Should I Bring My Dog’s Own Food And Water Bowls?

If you’re planning to travel with your pup, consider what pet supplies you should bring. One essential item is a food and water bowl for your dog. Having their own bowls ensures that your pup is eating and drinking from a container that is clean and bacteria-free. Plus, their own bowls can be comforting and familiar for them in unfamiliar places.

When choosing the right food and water bowl for your pet, there are several factors to consider. The size of the bowl should be appropriate for the size of your dog so they can comfortably eat without spilling or making a mess. Look for bowls that are easy to clean and durable enough to withstand daily use. For convenience when traveling, collapsible bowls are a great option as they take up less space in your bag or backpack.

When selecting a food and water bowl for your pooch, think about their nutritional needs while on the road. Remember to bring along enough food and treats that will last throughout the duration of your trip – plus some extra just in case! Bring along bottled water or store-bought filtered water so that your pup stays hydrated during long days of sightseeing or hiking.

What Should I Do If My Dog Becomes Lost While Traveling?

When traveling with your dog, be prepared for any situation. One of the most stressful situations you may encounter is if your pup becomes lost while away from home. The first step in this situation should be to remain as calm as possible and begin searching for your pet immediately. Start by asking people nearby if they have seen your dog, and then start widening the search area. If you don’t find your four-legged friend right away, try to stay in the same spot so that you can become a point of reference for them.

Have contact information on hand just in case someone finds your pup before you do. Make sure their collar has up-to-date contact info and any applicable medical information. You may even want to consider having a temporary ID tag made before leaving home with emergency contact info just in case they become lost while on vacation. Microchipping is recommended as another form of backup identification in the event that they wander off without their collar or tags.

If all else fails, reach out to local animal shelters , vets or rescue groups who can help reunite you with your dog. Check online lost and found pet listings such as Craigslist or Facebook groups for people who may have spotted your dog along the way.

With these steps taken beforehand, you can hopefully increase the odds of safely finding your pup and continuing on with a safe and enjoyable travel experience!

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How Do I Find Reliable Pet Sitters Or Dog Walkers Near My Destination?

Traveling with your pet can be a great experience, and having reliable help while you’re away in case you want to explore non-pet-friendly spaces makes it even better. A good way to find pet sitters or dog walkers near your destination is to do some research.

Start by searching online for services in the area that provide temporary care for pets, such as Rover. Check out reviews from others who have used them before. This will give you an idea of what kind of quality and reliability they offer. Make sure to read through the policies and procedures carefully before making your decision.

Another option is to ask friends or family if they know of any reputable pet sitting and dog walking services in the area. They may be able to provide information about experiences they’ve had with particular companies or people who offer these services.

Ask them questions such as how long have they been in business, what kind of training do their employees receive, and whether the company has insurance.

Once you’ve identified a few possible options, contact each one and ask questions about their rates, availability, and any special needs your pet might have.