Journey or Destination?
John Stackhouse
Vice President of Wealth Management at Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union
This topic may have more intensity than even the classic “chicken or egg first” debate. For the person who dreams and better yet pursues the dream, is the greater reward in the journey or the destination?
When we set the destination in our mind, we have decided on where and what it should look like. You have an image in your mind, even a set of objectives to get to it. In some circles of progressive, positive thinking, you need to create a substantial expectation of the destination.
You may have pictures and brochures if it is a location. You may have created a vision board if it is a goal in your business or personal life. Your mind has visualized how it feels, what it looks like. Let’s say it all comes together, and your destination comes to you. Your goal, your trip, your new accomplishment. If it all then comes along exactly as you expected, where is the excitement? You have been to the place in your mind so many times; when you get there, it becomes almost a sense of letdown. For the motivated, when reaching this point, we often will look around and wonder “what next!”.
This is why some people may feel the journey is the best part. The journey has changes, new people, turns and twists. The journey has all the elements that keep it exciting. The journey has things that are unexpected, things you need to adapt and change, which even at times can lead you to an even newer undiscovered destination.
We love the opportunity to sit with a person or family and hear about the plans for their journey. One client might want to travel the world as a goal in retirement. Another client might want to start a small pottery shop after the main working career is over. Another client may want to donate their time to the animal shelter and make sure funds are allocated in their trust for a new dog park as a memorial.
The ability to support someone’s journey and travel alongside them as they get to the destination is an opportunity many other professions just do not offer. From that perspective, we get to both experience the journey and the destination in our careers. If you have not shared some of your journey with us, we are always open to talk more about it.