The Finish Line That Keeps Moving - Intentional Living

Enjoy the Journey!

So many times we're told to pick a goal, focus hard, and hustle our way to the finish line.And for many of us—especially those of us in fast-moving careers or leadership roles—that kind of focused drive becomes second nature.

We zero in. We focus. We get disciplined. We block out distractions.We move forward with intensity because we’ve been taught: this is how you win.

And sometimes, it works.

You get the promotion. You launch the thing. You get the job you were aiming for. You arrive at what you thought was the destination.

But instead of feeling the satisfaction you expected, something surprising happens:

The finish line moves.

The Illusion of Arrival

I've experienced this. I bet a lot of you have also.

You work hard to reach a professional milestone—let’s say, becoming a director, closing a major deal, or getting published. You cross that line, and you think: This is it. I’ve made it.

But then the questions start almost immediately:

• What’s next?

• How long can I sustain this?

• Why don’t I feel more fulfilled?

• Why do I already feel behind again?

You thought you were running a race with a clear ending, but suddenly, it’s just a checkpoint. The goalposts have shifted. And you didn’t even realize when.

In Positive Psychology, this is often explained through the lens of the hedonic treadmill—the idea that no matter how much we achieve or accumulate, our level of happiness tends to return to a baseline. Without intentional practices like gratitude, meaning-making, and mindfulness, even our biggest “wins” can feel fleeting.

What We Miss When We’re Chasing

When our eyes are fixed solely on the outcome, we often don’t notice what’s happening around us:

• We stop hearing the birds outside our window in the morning.

• We breeze past moments of connection with our family or coworkers.

• We forget to enjoy the creative process because we’re so obsessed with completion.

• We numb our intuition, telling ourselves “just a little longer,” even when our body or heart is calling out for rest.

I once had a conversation with a friend who had just completed what sounded like a grueling 18-month project at work. She had led a team, sacrificed weekends, stayed up late every night. I asked her, “How does it feel to be done?”

She paused.And then said, “Honestly? I don’t even know. I’m already stressed about the next thing.”

The Yoga Sutras offer a simple yet powerful invitation in Sutra 1.2: “Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ”Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.

In other words, peace isn’t something you achieve through external goals. It's something you experience when you quiet the internal noise.

A Quiet Reminder from the Ancients

Lao Tzu once wrote:“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”

We spend so much of our energy trying to get somewhere…...that we often miss the peace of where we are.

Positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky echoes this sentiment: “Happiness is not out there for us to find. The reason that it’s not out there is that it’s inside us.”

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be ambitious. It doesn’t mean you stop growing or dreaming. It just means—don’t let your desire for what’s next rob you of what’s now.

The Real Work Is Looking Up Sometimes

Maybe the most important question isn’t Where am I going?

Maybe it’s What am I missing while I get there?

The sun coming through the trees on your commute. The coworker who’s having a hard day but won’t say it out loud. The satisfaction of a job well done—even if it didn’t go viral. The quiet joy of a Tuesday evening that doesn’t need to be productive to matter.

Remember

There is no final finish line.

There’s only this moment. And the next. And the next.

And maybe—just maybe—when we stop chasing so hard, we finally give ourselves permission to arrive.