We’re often told from a young age that success is the goal. That to orient yourself toward success of any kind is to provide direction and meaning in your work and more broadly in your life.

We define success by our accomplishments. The idea of working toward a goal, achieving it and of course reaping the benefits that come along with it is a powerful motivator. It acts as our north star in times where the storm has made it hard for us to see. But does anyone tell you what happens when you actually achieve the level of success that you set out for? And how does it frame the work that we do today? I ask because it seems to me that to be guided by an idea of the future is to remove yourself from the present. So much so that when you do finally achieve the goal, that is to say when the future becomes the present moment, you have no idea what to do with it.

Now, the point here isn’t that you shouldn’t set out to accomplish your goals. That’s ridiculous. It’s much deeper than that. It’s to understand and appreciate that regardless of the goal, the result is contingent on what you do everyday to achieve it! To not glamorize what will be a moment in time some day in the future but instead to understand that it’s just an idea, and that the beauty is where you are right now, not at the end of the road. That the work and the struggle are enough to fill our hearts. And to realize this is to effortlessly detach ourselves from the result and instead give our attention to the moment where it belongs.

Fear and anxiety are powerful evolutionary survival mechanisms designed to keep us save in the face of danger. So it’s no wonder they have such a tight grip on our minds in an effort to keep us from harm. Or better yet, to guide us to want to create a “better” life for ourselves so that we can be happy. And this is often where our connection to the future leads us astray as it assumes that happiness exists in contrast to life’s difficulties and not interdependently with them.

Happiness lays beneath the surface of our actions. It presents itself to us through our work, our interactions with friends and family, through prayer and meditation, etc. It’s not something we can put in a bottle. To me happiness is simply evidence that I am connected to this moment, here and now, and if I’m not the anxiety of the future or longing of the past swoop in to fill the gaps. It’s most potent when we practice our crafts with all the intensity, focus, respect and playfulness they deserve. Being detached from the result doesn’t mean that you don’t care about the future. It means that you’re brave enough to focus on the thing that’s going to get you there.

I think it’s time for a change in our orientation. Let gratitude and love occupy the space that was once filled by the desire to succeed. Let’s give our energy to the things we can control and appreciate the journey for what it is, regardless of where it will lead.