It's in the Doing not in the Getting

I have openly admitted of my restlessness, my constant agitation until the "next high" arrives, and my failure to enjoy the moment. But I don't beat myself about it, because I know it is inherent in every man to be not satisfied with or in this world. After Alexander the Great conquered the entire known world in 323, B.C., he was despondent. He sat down and wept because the imagined has become real, the pursuit is now at hand. Forward to 2 thousand years later, remember the "Buzz"? Edwin Aldrin, Jr, one of the first two men to walk on the moon? As a pilot, when the Buzz realized, that there were no greater achievements he could strive for anymore in his lifetime (except landing on the sun without becoming charcoal) he had a nervous breakdown.

There's a medical explanation to this; like the rise in dopamine causes the drop in serotonin,etc., but the angle I'd like to develop is the explanation that Dr. Chris Thurman calls the "scoreboard" mentality, where the effort on the field is considered less important than the final score. The virtue lies in the struggle, not the prize. When you're fighting a weight problem and the number won't come down from 200, the effort to lose weight is your victory. If your marriage is on the brink of destruction in spite of your effort to save it, remind yourself that your struggle to save it, is your victory.

"I tried" should be our greatest statement even before we reach the finish line. The writing process is agonizing, painful and exhilarating at the same time, so I am always in a roller coaster ride of emotional high and lows, but I fight through it day in and day out. Ok, got to run, so let me say this with a straight face: The completed book is not my victory, writing it, is the victory. I tried.