I grew up in Northern Minnesota where summer lasted roughly three months. As a result, most citizens were pasty white for the majority of the year. And if during the middle of winter someone suddenly appeared with a nice deep tan, it was assumed they had traveled afar.
Where did you go? Florida? Mexico? California? Where? What sunny, tropical locale did you journey to? What did you experience?
See, in my small hometown a winter tan was the consequence of a vacation, respite or sabbatical; it was an outward sign that you had explored beyond the comfortable confines of the community. In short, an unexpected change in one’s complexion was assumed to be the consequence of a more significant trip. Therefore, subsequent discussion focused not on your changed appearance, but rather on the journey that led to it.
Of course, this is no longer a safe assumption. The ubiquity of strip mall salons offering tanning beds and spray-on booths means anyone can change their appearance with a few bucks and a couple of visits. You no longer need to travel abroad or change one’s lifestyle to sustain a deeper shade of pale. Instead you merely need to wear eye protection and be still for 20 minutes once a week.
So for many individuals, a deep tan is not indicative of a more significant event but rather simple commitment to a maintenance program. Thus the focus shifts from maximizing the experience of the journey to minimizing the inconvenience of the task.
What salon do you use? Is it a spray tan? How often do you have to go? Is it safe? What does it cost? Is it convenient?
A business trip last week put me face-to-face with several coworkers for the first time since the launch of Rigorous Pursuit. Many noticed I was a smaller. After confirming their keen sense of observation and offering a complimentary “You look good…”, most inquired about what “program” I was using and how many more pounds I wanted to shed.
What diet are you on? Weight Watchers? Slim-Fast? Are you hungry a lot? How hard is it? How much more are you going to lose?
The questions caught me off guard. Granted, four months earlier I was considerably overweight and out-of-shape, but I hadn’t made changes in order to look better or to achieve a goal weight. I committed to a new daily regimen to achieve increased creativity, improved productivity, better health, greater longevity and higher overall satisfaction. My weight loss was not an achievement, but rather a simple benefit. And while the questions posed by my coworkers were certainly understandable, I found myself initially disappointed by the assumption my slimmer appearance was the goal rather than a consequence of a more significant change.
Cervantes once asserted, ”The journey is better than the inn.” Similarly, it wasn’t the promise of a “nice tan” that ultimately got me to embark on this journey. It was recognizing the importance of maximizing the opportunity and value of the pursuit itself.