For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the phrase, “It’s about the journey, not the destination,” running through my mind. I think about it often, repeating it to myself, and truly believe it.

Maybe a little too much, especially when it comes to marathon training.

The journey is where the work happens: the growth, the learning, the setbacks, the breakthroughs, the exhaustion, the fun, the tears, the joy, all of the emotions. It’s months of showing up, putting in the miles, and pushing through.

The marathon itself? That’s the destination. And for me (and maybe for you, too) it’s over before I even know it.

Most of the time, I get so caught up in the process that when the moment I’ve been working toward finally arrives, I’m already mourning its ending before it even begins. I see this in so many areas of my life:

🏃 With racing: I pour months into training, but when race day comes, I’m already thinking about what I could have done differently, what might go wrong, or what comes next.
✈️ With vacations: I love planning and daydreaming about a trip! But, before it even begins, I feel sad that it will soon be over.
💼 With my business: I love helping people, but I often focus so much on what’s next that I forget to celebrate each win along the way.

So, I’m going to stop telling myself “It’s about the journey, not the destination.”

Because it’s about both.

Maybe the real lesson is recognizing that they are one and the same. The destination isn’t just the finish line, the vacation itself, or the next big move in business. The destination is part of the journey and the point between different journeys in our life is where we should pause. I think that is where the magic lies. This moment allows for reflection before you pivot.

✨ The magic is in the moments after—the reflection, the pause before the next step.

My focus for the next seven weeks of marathon training:

✔️ To fully enjoy the journey: to embrace both the hard days and the good ones.
✔️ To look forward to the race: not as an ending, but as a moment to continue working through and enjoying (let my worries and excuses come after the race).
✔️ To pause and reflect post-race: to not see it as a loss but the beginning of the next adventure. To see what I can learn and take to the next one (versus doing this too much before the race even starts and getting too many emotions going on at the start line 🤪)

Where in your life do you get so caught up in the grind that you forget to appreciate how far you’ve come? What destination do you need to celebrate instead of rushing past? What can you learn in the in-between moments?

Let’s take a moment to pause and recognize the journey and the destination.

- Adria