Dr. B.'s Blogs!

The Journey Not the Destination

Posted: February 19, 2013
By: Dr Susan Burger

I was reading an article that said:

“The faint-hearted among us often question the suicidal bravery of mountaineers who risk their lives to climb the world’s highest peaks. When asked why they climb the mountain, the stock-in-trade explanation is something like, “because it’s there.”   (www.WWDTY.com)

It reminded me of a man that I saw interviewed on TV a few years ago.  I don’t remember his name. He had reached the summit of Mount Everest the most times of any human being.

What stopped me in my tracks is his response to the interviewers question of how he was able to do that.  Many have died in their attempt to reach that goal.

And he said, “My goal was not to get to the top at all costs. It was to get back down.”

There were times he was very close, but conditions were such that he thought it would be too dangerous to go that last little bit to the summit. So he would head back down, and try again another time. When others died trying to reach the top, he did not chance it. He took risks, but knew when to change his plans.

WOW!  Did that strike me as some important wisdom!  

If somewhere along the way, when we have set our goals and are moving towards them, we hear that little inner voice that indicates a change in direction… then it is wise to listen. Maybe it is not the goal to achieve, but to learn to listen and engage our inner wisdom along the way for the lessons the journey teaches us.  

It is said, “It is about the journey, not the destination.” Wise words that I will continue to remember.