“She wasn’t where she had been. She wasn’t where she was going. But she was on her way.”

I haven’t been able to trace the origin of that quote, but it’s on a refrigerator magnet I keep on the bulletin board in my office (since I don’t have a refrigerator in my office). I get energized every time I read it. It reminds me—especially when I get frustrated or exhausted, or when things I’m trying to do don’t go as planned and I start to feel as though they never will—that I have come a long way, and I’ve accomplished a great deal. Even if the big prize or the big picture is still way beyond the horizon.

It also reminds me that everything I’m working toward is worth the work, worth the wait, and worth the journey. There is a fabulous reward waiting for me. It may not look exactly as I’m envisioning it right now, and it may change by the time I get there. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m on my way to reaching it, and I need to keep moving to get there.

That’s the real prize, of course. The knowledge that if I keep moving toward my dreams and my goals, I’ll certainly achieve them. Sometimes it’s blind faith that keeps me going. Sometimes it’s sheer determination. Sometimes I feel as though I’m flying, and sometimes I’m treading water. That still counts.

No matter where I’ve been, where I’m going, or how long it takes to get there, I’m enjoying the ride. And I love all the treasures I find along the way.

How about you?