Life Is About The Journey — Don’t Rush It

Take a pause in your life and recognize what you're surrounded by. Love the people who have stuck with you, loved you, and encouraged you. Those are the people you must carry with you in your journey.

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Unsplash / Shannon Kelley
Unsplash / Shannon Kelley

Anyone else always worried and consumed by what comes next? Constantly planning for a future, we aren’t even sure we will get. Rushing, racing, and competing against ourselves and others. I know this because this has been my life. This has been my constant battle. My biggest misery and fear.

What does come next? Will I get to the big things, the small things….?

These are the things that fill my head. Answers that I’m always searching for and signs I’m hoping to find. I don’t want to be the girl who missed out. That let something good get away. I don’t want to miss my train.

I’m sure we all think this. Because who really dreams of getting left behind or settling for a life half lived.

No-one.

We’re all hoping for better days. Wishing on the next shooting star, that someday will be today, or tomorrow. That we’ll get there. We’ll find our way. More than anything, that we’ll learn to love the journey. No matter how narrow and complicated it may get, I want to love it.

But what if I told you that your better days are here. They are close and they are coming. That you must abandon your fears of missing out, losing and being left behind. That you must put your faith and trust in the journey. Your good days are among you. Your better days are here and your time is now.

Take a pause in your life and recognize what you’re surrounded by. Love the people who have stuck with you, loved you, and encouraged you. Those are the people you must carry with you in your journey. Those are the faces you’ll always need and the hugs that will always bring you home.

It won’t always be easy. But who wants easy? You will need others along the way. You will need friends that you can count on. That want to be a part of your life. That want to be a part of your journey with you.

You may be surprised at who shows up and who doesn’t, but you’ll be thankful for the way it turns out.

You’ll need these people to carry you and to love you; you the same to them. I’m here to tell you something you probably already know. Not everyone is going to make it out with you. Not everyone is going to be the person they were to you.

They will no longer serve the same purpose in your life. This will be one of the hardest things to accept and deal with. But you’ll handle it on your own terms. Smile when you think of them, be happy that you knew them, but carry on with your life.

I haven’t always loved the journey. I haven’t always taken the time to recognize the beauty amid the chaos. But, I’ve learned that the journey is what you make it. My journey is my journey. I can choose to love it or hate it. I choose to love it.

You should too. You should love your journey, because not all of us will get to finish it. You should cherish it. Embrace it and keep it close to your heart. String it along with you, like a paper trail. Smile when you can and speak light to those when you feel the need. Chase after the things that keep you alive. Love the journey, it’s yours for a reason. Thought Catalog Logo Mark