The Journey

Life itself is a journey, whether it’s with intention, or without it. You can take what life hands you, or you can take from life what you want from it. You decide. Having goals is great. Having a vision is great. Envisioning the ultimate destination for your life is essential to success. I encourage doing this. I don’t know where I’d be without setting my intentions and efforts toward concrete goals. But after all the goals I’ve managed to accomplish, and after all the times I’ve failed, I’ve learned something deeper and more valuable than the achievement of the end-goals. I’ve learned that whether the goal is achieved or not, when it’s all said and done, the gold is actually found throughout the process of The Journey. Pressure makes a diamond.

There are countless books about achieving goals and living a destination-oriented life. I’d like to show you a better way. In my song, Heart and Hustle, I have a line that says, “life’s about what you take from it, not about where it may take you.” The depth of those lyrics can be explained in this story. 

The Time I Learned the Value of The Journey

When I was starting out, I was just like so many others out there today: young, with big goals to get rich, make an impact, and prove everybody wrong. I knew that I wanted to do something positive, but I didn’t know where to start. Making music wasn’t my lifelong dream, but I’ve always loved music, and I knew I was supposed to do something, so it’s the first thing that made sense for me to begin sharing my heart.

I didn’t realize it yet, but I was unconsciously committing to The Journey.

Since I started a family at a young age and wanted to do it the right way, there was never a debate about always putting my family first before any dreams that I had. After years of frustration and feeling unheard of, my music improved. It improved a lot. But the musical path got so frustrating at times that I lost the joy that I started with, and in those times, the only part I loved was getting to share my heart. Everything to do with music began to seem like an extra burden on top of all my other responsibilities like working a full-time job, exercising my entrepreneurial heart with different businesses, and having a family. The songs themselves were fulfilling, but the process of getting them finished had become so difficult. The fact that doing music became so hard also made me frustrated with my jobs and businesses. Although I was always grateful, at times, I resented having a day job. I thought I should have “made it.”

I made a lot of great music and made a lot of progress toward "making it." For me, "making it" meant signing a record deal and having somebody else do all the stuff that artists don’t want to do, like graphics, branding, marketing, etc. (Sidenote: I learned so much about these things through the process; they’re now things that I’m also passionate about.) “Making it” meant being able to make enough money through my music that I could quit my day job, get rid of other businesses, provide the standard that I had for me and my family, and then build an empire from there.

After a series of financial losses, I was forced to put music and dreams to the back of my mind in order to do whatever was necessary to take care of my family. Remember, my family is of higher priority. All the time and effort that I used to spend on music went into finding ways to provide for my family. Just like that, after years of extreme hustle with music and content, I spent years without any of it. Over time, my wife and I worked, prayed, and got ourselves established once again in a healthy and happy place. That forced break from music and dreams really put things into perspective for me.

I realized that I was happy and fulfilled without the music. I realized that all my frustration had come because I had been destination-oriented, meaning that my ultimate happiness had been attached to the achievement of the goal of “making it.” By being forced to separate from this destination, and finally slow down a little, I found a better way. I became thankful for the ups and downs of The Journey even though I hadn’t “made it” with music. Without that pursuit, I wouldn’t have become the man I am today. Without committing to an intentional journey, I wouldn’t have grown. I wouldn’t have had to optimize my life, my habits, or my routines. I wouldn’t have come close to picking up the skills that I now have today as a result of The Journey.

As the famous quote by Norman Vincent Peale says, “Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

I’d like to add some thoughts to that quote. If you don’t aim for something and commit to some journey, years will go by, and you’ll still be in the same place, or worse, even further back. There’s a great chance that you’ll only be older and filled with regret. You’ll question what would’ve happened if you had committed to doing things in your life that are worthy of your potential. Human fulfillment is in growth and progress.

Back to the story.

Thankfully, after my break from music, though my hard-nosed determination to “make it” music wasn’t the same, the pull to make a positive impact never left me. Because the pull to do something was still there, I knew I had to. But this time was different. I had grown to a point where I was NOT going to force things and work out of frustration anymore. That leads me to my message today. I’ve compiled my lessons, experiences, best practices for optimized living and goal pursuits, for achieving your best life, now and later. And I’m able to make an impact in an even deeper, more profound way.

Without unconsciously committing to The Journey in my pursuit of success in music, I wouldn’t have found the chapter of The Journey that I’m on today. And I’m positive that today, I’m right where I need to be. Without committing to something early on, there would be no path that led me here. There would be no book of this magnitude. I wouldn’t have pushed myself the same way.

Success is different for everybody. And “making it” for me has a whole different meaning today than it did before. I’m thankful that my path has developed into what it is today because it’s more fulfilling than it would have been if my previous definition of “making it” had come to pass. Take your time, roll with the punches, trust the process, and let The Journey develop into something special.

Be adaptable. It’s not giving up. It’s using wisdom and realizing that things can develop into a greater purpose than what you’d had in mind before. It’s trusting that each phase in life builds the character that the next phase requires.

Adaptability is wisdom. Perseverance is vital.

Life is less about what we do. It’s much more about who we are while doing it.

If my fulfillment was still attached to my previous destinations or goals, I’d still be forcing things and living frustrated. Thankfully, I was forced to see a better way.

There are several problems with being destination-oriented over journey-oriented. I’d like to explain two common problems here.

Destination Based Life Problem #1

Destinations often seem far off in the distance. The gap between where you are and where you want to be is wide. This gap can be so discouraging to some people that they will opt out of the pursuit of their goals altogether. It’ll always be a dream and remain a wish instead of a reality.

Destination Based Life Problem #2

If you’re completely destination-oriented, when you do finally reach your goal, the initial happiness of attaining the goal fades, and your happiness will fade with it. Every moment in life fades, including your biggest achievements. If your happiness is solely attached to the goal, it will fade just as quickly as the goal fades. The joy from a new car only lasts so long before you need another new car to feel the same way. It’s why so many people have reached their ultimate goals in their lives, only to fall into deep depression. Jim Carrey famously said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.”

Every goal in life passes. But a commitment to The Journey does not. This is because that commitment creates lasting development that lives in your identity and experiences. When you love The Journey and learn to appreciate the true value that comes from it, you’ll remain fulfilled. Life itself is one big journey, but it becomes most fulfilling when you begin to embrace growth and development. That’s The Journey.

Successes will come as a byproduct of the growth you’ve received along The Journey which will then lead to even greater successes. As you achieve one thing, your capacity for achieving even greater things comes as a result. If you take the position of an ever-growing student of life, you learn to appreciate the intricacies of The Journey with all its ups and downs.

I don’t regret ever pushing my limits just like athletes don’t regret pushing theirs. Discipline and commitment make you better. You’ll be refined when you face hardship, get back up, and go again. That process produces the character of a hero. When we get so caught up in the outcome, like I was with “making it” in music, we either end up disappointed when life throws a curve ball, or our happiness will fade. Unless, when it’s all said and done, you realize the value of The Journey.

Put away the thoughts that align with being destination oriented. Find a destination and purpose that you’re truly passionate about. That way, you’re working from a place of enjoyment and fulfillment instead of working for enjoyment and fulfillment.

Think of it like this- it’s not about what you’re doing, it’s about who you become along the way. Be proud of who you are today. No matter where you are. You’re reading this. You’re obviously ready to move forward. Everybody’s so focused on the destination. All their hopes are in the destination. But The Journey, the process, is the real ride of a lifetime.

I’ve told you so much about The Journey, and now I’d like to sum it all up to conclude this chapter.

The Journey: a lifestyle of continuous, conscious Intention.

The Journey is a way of life.

When you’ve accepted The Journey as a way of life, this means that you’ve accepted life as a process, and that you’ll always make conscious effort as a student and worker toward your intended visions through the process. Your attitude won’t be so caught up in each goal, whether attained or not, because you’ll realize that every goal, with its ups and downs, brings growth that builds the character that your life and each new goal will require. Goals are great, but they’re only pieces of the puzzle that make up The Journey. Given time, you’ll see that your development through the ups and downs was necessary to continue reaching your greatest potential. It’s a beautiful process of self-discovery, as well as continuous improvement. The Journey is a way of life that consists of gratitude and purpose. The lifestyle embraces change and doesn’t dwell on frustration. The Journey is walking in flow and in-step with God’s plan, trusting the process. It is without a doubt the most fulfilling way to live.

The value of The Journey cannot be overstated.

Know your vision.

Know your passion.

Know your purpose.

Feeling aimless or stuck is discouraging. The Journey is all about taking control of your life and living with purpose. We all need to find what truly ignites us, but that can be easier said than done. Sometimes, you need to know where to start. That's why I've put together a special course called "Intention" for people like you who need to find that direction and purpose. If that resonates with you, check it out at http://zachbanes.com/intention

When your passion aligns with your purpose, Intention becomes a superpower.