“Existence in the physical universe is basically playful”
Alan Watts
One of the hardest routines for me to build up was an exercise habit. Whenever I’d tell myself I was going to start and stick to it consistently, I’d look forward to the changes that would come from it. Bigger biceps, wider delts, six-pack abs. I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, but I couldn’t wait for it to happen eventually.
I’d start by hitting reps as hard as I could on the first few days. Then I’d start to take it a bit slower realizing that my initial motivational energy was depleting. Yet I remained confident I could keep it up. But all I can remember is that after two weeks, the habit would never continue. I just didn’t feel like I was making any meaningful progress towards my goals.
But now there’s a stark difference in my relationship with exercise. I’m able to go to the gym near daily without thinking too much about it. And I haven’t even set much personal goals for myself to achieve. What was the change in mindset that allowed me to stick to a habit I never could? And what could it say for the way we perceive our own life challenges and goals?
The Neverending Sprint
How often do you hear this language around others: Days being summarized with a monotonous “good”. People saying they can’t wait until the week, month, or semester is over to relax again. And they hope that by achieving something, they can finally be satisfied with their work. It’s so commonplace, that we often say it ourselves.
Alan Watts points out that there’s a story that’s easily taught to us as we grow up. Going through the education system, we perceive our work as heading towards something. We study so that we can get the A. We get the A’s so we can get to the next grade. We graduate high school to go to college. And we go to college to get a good job. We are constantly held in the belief that if we keep working hard, the thing that we are waiting for will eventually arrive.
But as he also points out, the story never ends. We notice something to chase after, and run towards it. We get there and feel happy with our success. But time is constantly moving forward. And suddenly we find something new to chase after. In this way, there is a cyclical sprint in the hope that we will finally get what we need. But we never do. At least not more than for a moment. Because there is always something new to go after.
Infinitely Winning
Our problem with goals is that they close our lenses of life to only focus on them. But life isn’t about goals. There is no destination that life ought to arrive at, and likewise ourselves. We simply exist.
Again, Alan Watts akins the idea to prescribing a goal to a musical piece. When we listen to music, we are not listening for it to get to the end. That is not the point. The point is the music itself. Similarly, Watts finds it foolish to think of life as this journey where we are hoping to achieve some goal. The point is to just enjoy the music of life itself.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is foolish to think of life as a journey. Rather, I would say that the misconception is thinking the point of the journey is the destination. It’s the journey itself. It’s the pursuit of the goal that sustains the meaning we are looking. Even a musical piece often has some finish it is building towards. But the point is how it builds up in the first place.
My exercise habits changed once I decided to no longer workout for the sake of some goal. Rather, it became about the process itself. My “goal” was to simply to be healthy. That simple perspective meant that, as long as I kept playing the game, I was winning it. And to this day I’m still playing it. The point is no longer whether I can get some physique, hit some rep max, or weigh in at something. Those things do provide a sense of direction. But I understand the true point is to identify myself with a lifestyle of staying fit.
Choose Your Game
Did I write this article so it could be summarized cliche, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey”?
Yes and no.
I hope I can convince you why the journey is the important part. But what I challenge you to do is observe your own work, and particularly your own language. What do you say to others when asked about what you do in a day, any day? Does it reflect that you are enjoying the journey? That you find the point itself to be the progression you make, not momentary bursts of small and large goals?
What I hope I can convince you is that if this is not the case, then it might be time to find a new track to run on. Because the wins aren’t going to provide the payoff for your drudgery now. They’ll only keep you hooked on the same cycle of feeling like you’re working towards something in the future. When in actuality, life is simply happening now.
And if you feel like you’re crossing the finish line every moment of your journey, you’re always winning. You’re always progressing towards something meaningful. And most of all, you’ve found the music you can dance to playfully.
