“To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.” Robert Pirsig
I have a love/hate relationship with this quote. I love it because it is 100% truth, and I hate it because it is 100% truth. I know from personal experience, and from the experiences of clients and friends that when we grasp at a desired outcome, we lose all of the beauty and power of the current moment. We miss opportunities the universe is placing in front of us to bring us closer to what we are meant to be doing and accomplishing. We fight our dharma.
I’ve used this quote a lot hiking through the mountains of Colorado. I would find myself fixated with getting to the top, and completely unaware of everything I was passing along the way. So, I would consciously slow down, pause, look at where I was placing my feet, and begin to notice everything around me.
What a necessary practice for every day, every task, every interaction! What goal are you grasping onto right now? How are you trying to feel by achieving that goal? What will it bring to your life? Now look around, are there things, people, opportunities in this moment that bring that same feeling and result?