Yes, I know, I know… I haven’t posted for a while now. But I do have an excuse. You see, I’ve been quite busy launching my new business: my life coaching practice, Jim Stern Coaching. I created a new website focused on life coaching, as my old site (DrivingInsights.net) was focused mainly on my blog. DrivingInsights.net still exists on its own domain, but it is attached to my new site, JimSternCoaching.com, so you can get to the blog either way. Oh… and by the way, you are on the new site now (scroll up)!A 50-year journeyIt’s been a two-year process from the start of my course work to launching my practice, and this process has made me think about the destination (the launch). As good as it feels to finally arrive at this point, it wasn’t always about the destination. In reality, if I reflect on my entire career, launching my life coaching practice has been a 50-year journey. And this is what I wanted to write about: it’s the journey that is so important!People are often so focused on their end destination that they do not pay attention to the journey itself, which can be filled with many ups and downs and as much excitement as there is disappointment. It’s like taking a road trip. If you’re only focused on your end destination, you may miss or not appreciate the road to get there. The journey for me was the best part and full of challenges along the way.No easy taskStaying engaged with the journey you are on in life is really a matter of staying present as much as you can. This is no easy task. It is truly difficult to stay present 100% of the time because our minds keep trying to pull us into thoughts on our past or future—events or issues that we can’t do anything about because they’ve already happened, or that may not become reality because they are in the future.Taking It to the MatI’ve met so many people over the last eight years that have been on quite the ride. For many, they didn’t even know where they might end up because they were so focused on what they were doing and were pleasantly surprised on where they landed. One woman I met, who reminds me of such a journey, was an ESPN documentary producer working on a story about two impoverished, handicapped high school athletes. While doing the story, she became so involved in their lives that she ended up adopting both athletes so she could continue to help them and stay involved in their lives. This led her to writing a book about this story and then becoming a motivational speaker as a result. You can read more about this story in a post I wrote a few years back called Taking It to the Mat.Becoming a certified life coach and launching my practice was a two-year process, but when I look at the bigger picture, again, I can see that the unfolding of my career has been more like a 50-year journey. Even with all the challenges along the way, when I reflect on the journey, I am amazed. This is LIFE, and the key is to look up and enjoy the ride as you aim for that final destination. For me? the journey continues. For you…???© 2022 Jim Stern Coaching, All Rights Reserved.