The journey is not the destination
#128 - the first ever TSO post from London!
Hi everyone,
I’m writing from a new home! I’ve finally moved into my accommodation in North Acton, London and my ‘Freshers Week’ has officially started. Quite a tiring couple of days - moving is draining physically and surprisingly mentally - and now gearing up for a big first week ahead starting tomorrow.
Highlight of the week: the copout answer would be the free pizza last night 🍕 but I’ll say my walk with a friend and reader, Dan, on Wednesday. Good to a) catch up, b) get a load of steps in and c) tackle some deep topics. Nice to hear he’s enjoying the blog posts too 😁
Signing up for the nearby gym this morning got me thinking again about how I’d like to have a form of health reset with this move (not the usual uni thing, I know). Whether it’s my sleep, diet, exercise or hair/skin, think they could all do some work. It reminded me of a conversation I’ve had before about fitness.
During Year 13, my Wednesday afternoons saw visits to our local gym, often seeing fellow Vesey friends like Viraj and Usairam. One afternoon, I noticed that Usairam wasn’t there. Being a pretty built guy and someone who I know enjoys gyming, I was surprised. I was further surprised when Viraj said he chose not to renew his membership - what was going on?
When I chatted with him at school the next day, he told me that the value-for-money equation didn’t add up based on how often he’d be able to go, with a recent price increase.
“But wouldn’t that mean you’re not able to stay active and keep fit anymore?”
“Not at all: going to the gym was just part of trying to stay fit. I can do bodyweight things at home and I’m getting a pull-up bar soon too. The goal isn’t going to the gym, the goal is fitness”
There are two types of goals: means goals and end goals
Means goals are goals you want to achieve in order to be able to do/have something else. They are on the path to what you want to eventually achieve - your end goals.
With the above example with Usairam and going to the gym, the end goal is “trying to maintain good fitness” and there are different means of achieving that, whatever suits you - it doesn’t have to be going to the gym. It’s not the only way to achieve the end goal. 💪
However, we can sometimes get obsessed and focused on the means goals, when, ultimately, they don’t matter. The means goals are there for you to contribute towards achieving your end goals. We must remember to zoom out, look at the ‘bigger picture’ and keep our eyes on the true prize.
They are still valid and important - they are often clearer, more specific and short-term - and you can often use the SMART method for them - (as I’ll explore another time) those checkpoints are important. That said, we need a clear distinction between these intermediary checkpoints and the actual destination.
Thinking about it now, my Cambridge setback is also a means goal. Cambridge can be seen as one of my end goals through my schooling, and what I was eventually aiming for when I studied hard for a Physics exam. But scrolling even further out, Cambridge is just an instrument for career, money and life success. And now I’m at Imperial (ranked higher in quite a few rankings now by the way 😄), it’s just a different path with its own opportunities and challenges to getting to the same place - it’s one of those yellow Diversion signs you see on British roads, but I’l get to the place of joy, success and achievement in the end.
That’s a nice way to end I reckon. Remember, one of the famous ‘7 Habits of Successful People’ by Stephen Covey is ‘Begin with the End in Mind’. As many of our readers start new life journeys, take some time to consider how your daily actions and decisions to commit to new adventures feed into your overall goal. And the gym being too busy is not an excuse - go for a run instead (even in the cold, windy UK)
Great article here about means goals and end goals, if you want more.
A pretty scrappy post, but it’s a rep nonetheless - consistency prevails.
Podcast of the week🎙️
BBC The Food Chain: So you want to run a food truck?
Being a foodie, loved this episode about how food trucks work - and how long the queues can be!!
Thing I’m grateful for this week 🙏
The wonderful student volunteers who helped with my move-in yesterday
Quote of the week 💬
I dream my painting and then I paint my dream - Vincent Van Gogh
Have a great week, and here’s hoping my blog stories get better as I begin a new “exciting, extravagant and expensive” journey!
Adi