Journey of Going

Hello, fellow thinker!

I want to talk about the concept of "going." In its simplest form, "going" means to move through or continue on a path. Yet, as you will see, we realize that "going" encompasses much more. It's about desire, resilience, and determination.

Going is the engine that powers us through life's wonders and the anchor that keeps us grounded during turbulent times.

During the last several years of my life, I have been consumed by work, family, sobriety, and learning. The ever-continuing journey of goal-setting and achievement has been my constant companion. I've spent hours, days, weeks, and months trying to improve my habits and decisions to transform myself from who I was to who I wanted to become.

For example, I wanted to be a non-smoker. The process of weaning myself off cigarettes and vapes, managing my cravings, and sacrificing short-term satisfaction for long-term benefits required immense dedication. But now, I no longer depend on smokes or vapes. The old me dreamt of being a non-smoker, envying those free from dependency. Today, I am that non-smoker.

However, achieving this goal brought an unexpected existential moment. I asked myself, "What now?"

I had defined myself by my struggle, and now, as a non-smoker, I faced an identity shift.

I would sit outside during a perfect night and think – “This would be a perfect place to have a smoke.. But I don’t smoke anymore.. so, I can’t do that. What do I do then?”

This reflection came often during my recovery from alcohol too.

I’d think to myself – “Great, I did it, now what? I can’t have a drink to celebrate because I don’t drink.. So, now what?”

The answer is, Now, I keep going and I stay on that path where I am committed to being a non-smoker, and non-drinker.

There is no going back to my old ways; I had to live a new life with different activities and experiences. This transformation took time, requiring many decisions and new habits. By now, this is a whole new way of living. ☀️

This applies to work, too. As a salesperson, I earn through commissions and bonuses. When I receive a long-anticipated big paycheck, the anticipation wears off, and I reflect. Despite the success, it passes, and I still have work to do. I can't retire yet; I need to keep working. So, I keep going.

In those existential moments, I saw the divide in my awareness. Looking back, I saw my life go far into the horizon. Looking forward, I saw an endless path of possibilities. I found myself in the middle, where the past leads to the future. So, what do I do now?

I keep going.

As my friend Mike called it, it's a form of "Ego Death." It's the realization that you can never return to your old self. You must keep going, pushing through whatever lies ahead to become the new you. The journey is continuous. Even though there's no final destination, we keep going and looking to make our lives fulfilling and to challenge ourselves to get what we want. I wanted to be a non-drinker, which required me to stop being a drinker. I wanted to be wealthy, so I stopped thinking like a poor person. I wanted to be happy, so I stopped myself when I got negative thoughts. I kept going until I got to where I wanted to go.

So, if you are reading this and it’s your birthday, today must be a good day for you. It’s another marker on your path as you go ahead. And you are not alone; you have me and a whole lot of other people going right there with you. Think of this as the next sprint of the journey.

Winston Churchill once said, "If you're going through hell, keep going."

Today is the first day of the rest of your life; What are you going to do?

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Keep thinking, my friends!

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