My Long Journey Towards Purpose and Fulfillment
Contributer: Seibo Shen
10 years ago, my therapist asked me, “Seibo, what’s more important, the journey or the destination?” At this point, I had already done my fair share of personal development so I was hesitant to say that the destination was more important but that is how I truly felt. I replied, “What would be the value of the journey if you never got to your destination?” In my mind, if I couldn’t hit my goals, why even try?
I have sat with this question for over 10 years and now, my conclusion is drastically different. I have been in the cannabis industry since 1997 when I designed my first vaporizer in college to make ends meet. In 2013, after winning the High Times Cannabis Cup for best product, I felt like my business idea was finally validated and legitimized and I could not be happier. By 2021, I was so burned out from the cannabis industry that I had to take a 3 year break to mentally recover.
I share these details because until 2021, I was an outcome oriented person. When I experienced an undesirable outcome, I found myself blaming the government, our suppliers, the credit card processors, and myself for making stupid decisions. When I got the outcome I wanted, I would be so happy and would share the news on social media and with anyone willing to listen. In my mind, the weeks, months, and sometimes years to get a desired result was worth sacrificing my time, health, and relationships. I remember that is what Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk would say is the formula to running a successful business and it all seemed so normal to me.
What I began to notice is that everytime I achieved my desired outcome, I would instantly have an even bigger goal in mind. It is like arriving at the destination, taking a bathroom break, and then instantly going on another journey. A few years ago, during a meditation, I had an epiphany that destinations are just illusions we make up in our minds and that life is just one long journey. This realization was so powerful that I didn’t question it and began cultivating the ability to be more “process focused” then “goal focused” so that I could enjoy the journey.
By focusing on the process instead of the goal, I began to experience joy and fulfillment every day. No matter what I was doing, whether it was gardening, jiu jitsu, or learning to play an instrument, I could celebrate the small improvements I was seeing every day. I might not be the best gardener, jiu jitsu player, or musician but I am happy. I began to see the underlying reason as to why we are all so goal oriented, it is because we believe that when we hit our goals we will finally be happy. Then we spend the rest of our lives pursuing our goals and rarely being happy during the process.
When I google pictures of Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk (or any other billionaires) I rarely see photos of them smiling and being happy. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being ambitious and focusing on your professional career but if you find yourself constantly striving to achieve in order to feel happier, I can tell you that happiness is not something you achieve, it is a way of being. The cannabis industry is very challenging and the previous version of me that prioritized the destination, didn’t have a very pleasurable journey. The current version of me that is prioritizing the journey is not only happier, but I seem to arrive at the destination even sooner.
That is the paradox of the journey focused individual. By maximizing the journey experience, you value the things that are truly important. The wonderful people that you meet, the acquisition of new skills, the ability to be more emotionally resilient, the experiences of creating a new industry, normalizing plant medicine use, and most importantly, discovering more of yourself. Cannabis is a very challenging industry but if you prioritize the journey, you will not only grow from the challenges, you will enjoy the process.
