“I don’t know where I am going, but I am on my way.” ― Voltaire
I have friends who are addicted to their GPS devices. Without a GPS, they couldn’t find their own feet. They’re always plugging destinations into that device, and that GPS voice gives them the road ahead. Miss a turn? The GPS tells them how to get back on track.
It’s a type of traveling with one thing in mind: Getting to the destination as quickly as possible.
What I find is that so many people I know live life this way. It’s always about moving on to the next milestone. Graduation. Job. Marriage. Kids.
There are a number of names for my generation, but let me offer my own suggestion: the GPS Generation. We hit one milestone and start pointing towards the next.
But I don’t think life is meant to go this way, hopping from job to job, from destination to destination.
Isn’t the best stuff in life the stuff you find along the way?
“Wizard of Oz” isn’t a movie about the girl who makes it to Oz. It’s about the people she finds on the road.
“Into Thin Air”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” isn’t about getting where you want to go. It’s about getting lost along the way.
This life needs to be about the journey, not the destination. There’s value in being lost. There’s value in keeping your eyes open, in staying curious. In exploring!
We have to stop worrying about the perfect route. We have to be willing to wander.
I think we need to keep one eye on the road and the other on what’s happening all around us. Otherwise, we’ll wake up one day at one of these milestones and wonder, How the hell did we get here? And what did we miss along the way?
Put down that GPS. Go enjoy the journey. Go enjoy the ride.
That gorgeous image at top via the On Wander blog.