Enjoy the Journey

Success is a journey, not a destination - Fortune Cookie

Last fall I watched an unbelievable journey by my beloved Texas Rangers, who I stuck with even when they had last place finish after last place finish. I watched them make the playoffs for the first time in eleven years, win their first playoff series in franchise history, and eventually make the World Series. They didn't win it all, but the season was far from a failure. In fact, the moment that will probably stick with me the most was when the San Francisco Giants streamed onto the field and jumped around in celebration. The crowd, which I was lucky enough to be part of, was quiet for a minute. Then a chant started: "Let's go Rangers!" It was our thank you to the players for the best season in franchise history. For defying the odds and playing with all they had.

Last night, I watched the Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA Championship - a team that did not have one single player who had ever won a championship before. Many of them had been in the league for over ten years. In 2006, the Mavs came so close to their first championship but lost. And last night, finally, they celebrated. A city that has had a terrific year of sports celebrated its first championship in over a decade.

I, just by luck, ended up watching more Mavs games this season than in all the years before (good timing on my part!), and I won't belittle the diehard Mavs fans by claiming to be a true fan myself. I do not love the Mavs like I love the Rangers, largely because I love baseball much more than basketball. But I love my city. I love hard work, perseverance, determination. 

And watching these two teams has made me realize something - something that a fortune cookie I got two weeks ago touched on. If it were easy - easy to be the best in a sport, easy to win a championship, easy to reach the highest level of your career, easy to get straight As, easy to write a bestseller - well, it just wouldn't mean nearly as much. Part of the reason the Rangers magical run meant so much to me was how long I had waited for it, how many just plain awful seasons of baseball I had watched, waiting for the moment they were a good team again.

Success comes as part of a journey. It is not some clearly defined moment, and it cannot be the end all be all, or you may never get there. Every day I sit down to write, I have to enjoy it. Because that is going to be what keeps me writing. That is going to be what keeps me moving along in my journey. Giving up is easy. Staying the course on a journey undefined in length, that's the part that takes faith, trust. And after every failure is a moment of success just by choosing to keep going. Keep believing. 

There may never be a moment when the pinnacle of success has been reached and is clear. The Mavericks are Champions today, and they will celebrate it in the weeks to come. But then they will go back to the gym, back to practices, start a new season. Success fluctuates. It comes in different forms and is ever-changing. I think I, as much as anyone, need to remember to stay in the moment, enjoy the journey. Let the future take care of itself.

To all of you who don't enjoy sports, sorry for my sports analogies!! The love I have for sports, reading, and writing somehow always manages to intertwine in ways that make most people look at me sideways. So if you're doing the same, you're not alone! But I do love and appreciate you anyway :)