“You have reached your destination.” This is the message my GPS unit gives me when I have successfully followed its directions and made it to where I wanted to go. A lot of things have to happen to hear this message; first, I have to turn my GPS on, I have to have good satellite reception, the GPS has to know my current position, I have to enter in to the GPS where I want to go, and finally I have to follow the direction that it gives me along the way. If I do all of these things successfully, I will reach my destination.

So, if I have reached my destination, is my journey now complete? Will I stay here forever? Is there nothing left for me to do? As long as I am living I want to keep traveling on my journey. My destination and yours too should not be reached until we are in the presence of the Almighty God. As long as we are living we should be progressing in a direction that will lead us to our eternal resting place.

I have a fear of retirement. I am afraid that when I retire I will be stuck sitting in a chair, looking out the window, watching the world live while I merely survive, breathing in and breathing out. I want so much more for my life, I don’t want to gently ease into death, but rather I prefer to come sliding in sideways shouting “YEE HAW.” Frank Sinatra is quoted as saying, “You only get one life, but if you do it right, one should be enough.”

Reaching a goal is not and should not be the same as reaching a destination, you should feel good about reaching a goal and knowing that each successful goal is another step along your journey. Reaching a goal should give you a sense of achievement, accomplishment, and the satisfaction of a job well-done. Reaching a goal successfully should also give you the momentum to tackle the next goal, and then the next. Momentum is an amazing thing when it is working in your favor.

Reaching your goal is a mile post along the highway that is your journey and you can take time to celebrate your win, to bask in the feeling of accomplishment, and maybe even coast for a short time to rest and take on the next challenge. Remember this though, you can only coast when you are going downhill. It takes work to climb to higher peaks, and your life should be one that is steadily working to reach the summit of yet another peak.

Set goals, set ambitious goals, and keep setting them. You will be amazed at how much you really are capable of doing and accomplishing. The road we are traveling lies before us and we need to move and keep moving. Live to travel and enjoy the journey.