“I Made It” Moments (The Bittersweet Truth)

I just had an “I made it” moment.

Digitally, I was on a conference call. But physically, I was on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, with my bare feet on the grass, the sun shining on my face, looking out at some of the most stunning landscapes I’d ever seen.

“I made it!” I thought to myself as I smiled at my “office” view.

“This is what I’ve been visualizing for the past 7 years… To be able to do this very thing I’m doing right now… Working remotely, having freedom of time and location, living life on my own terms and exploring beautiful places.”

Gratitude swept over me like a divine breeze. I basked in it, breathing in the incredibly fresh British Columbia air.

Then something unexpected happened…

As the euphoria faded, two bittersweet realizations hit me:
1. This isn’t the end. Although it feels like my dreams came true, there’s no feeling of closure here.
2. This feeling of having “arrived” is actually available in EVERY MOMENT, not just the ones we label as special.

You see, the moments when you’re able to live out your dreams are bittersweet. On one hand, it’s incredibly blissful. Yet on the other hand, it’s never perfect and it’s not an end.

My “I made it” moment actually manifested a bit differently than I expected when I first read The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. That’s the book that first opened me up to the idea that this lifestyle was even possible.

Here’s the truth. I worked a lot more than 4 hours this week. And no, I don’t earn a full-time living off of this blog or my own products. But I do have a remote job that allows me to do this. And I’m making a little more money every month with my own projects. So although I “made it,” it happened differently than I originally expected. And who knows; if I had rigidly clung to my expectations, and not flowed with the opportunities that presented themselves, this dream may not have come to fruition.

The only constant in life is change.

Nothing is static. This means that even when you achieve something, you can’t hold onto it, because it has already changed, you have already changed, and the circumstances have changed.

Every destination is really just a checkpoint along your journey. Every summit is a false summit, a checkpoint, showing you that there are always more peaks to climb.

There is no finish line. There is no destination. Life is a continuous journey!

Why do you think “successful” people are constantly looking to raise the bar? Why is everyone trying to chase their next preferred high? Because most people are caught in this endless, elusive game of future fulfillment.

Here’s a profound reframe: Every moment is an “I made it” moment. We just fail to see it in day to day life. But if you live mindfully and learn to enjoy the process, you will find that “you’ve arrived” in every moment.

“Where are you really headed? How is it really that much better than right here?” – Corey Sheikh

Of course purpose is important. Goals are important. But it’s not the achievement of goals that is rewarding. The reward is who you become in the process of working towards your goals or purpose.

Yet the ego constantly projects into the future, hoping for salvation there. This creates the trap of thinking happiness lies somewhere in the future, while continuously missing the present moment. It really is a trap. And here’s the thing; the present moment, not the future, holds all of the bliss, happiness and peace you’ve been searching for.

It’s been here and now all along.

Learn to love the process. Learn to love the journey. Learn to love the open-ended flux of the eternal now.

Realize that every moment is an “I made it” moment.

You’ve arrived. Or more accurately, you’re ARRIVING… Always.

Much love.

– Stevie P!