I heard about this NFL commentator whose job was to watch the Monday night football games and then come into work on Tuesday mornings and do an analysis of the game. The games were televised late on Monday nights, so he found himself getting to bed late on Mondays and then getting up early on Tuesday mornings to go to work. However, one Monday night, he decided to tape the game and get a good night's sleep. He woke up early the next morning, and watched the game in its entirety. He fast-forwarded through all the commercials and the timeouts so that he could get to the end of the game faster. What he discovered was that even though he saw every play, every field goal and every touchdown, he didn't get the feel for the game. The game was lacking the build-up to the big play. He missed out on the suspense of what came next while waiting through a commercial. Since the point was just to get through the game, it wasn't as enjoyable to watch the game.

Listening to this story, I thought it was a good analogy for life. Too often, we find ourselves having to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Reaching our destination wouldn't be half as fun if we didn't stop once in a while and enjoy the process of getting there. The in-between is just as important as the end point.


The Pittsburgh Steelers football team's victory last year wouldn't be as sweet if they didn't work hard to win the championship. It is safe to say that they went through rigorous training and preparation to win. They probably got knocked down a few times. Enjoying every small victory, every loss, every single moment on the road to our destination are all important.

The commentator also remarked on missing out on the 'feel' for the game. This is an important part of the equation as well. While we're out there trying to live out our dreams, reaching our goals wouldn't be as gratifying if we weren't enjoying ourselves. We must remember to have fun; if we're not having fun, what's the point in doing anything?

Fast-forwarding through life is actually easy, and anyone can do it. Unfortunately, many people choose to live this way, void of experience and missing out on potentially special moments in their lives. This is not living. Living is all about the ups and downs, the good times and the bad times, it's experiencing ALL of what life has to offer. As a good friend of mine would often say, you can't know hot, if you don't know cold. Too often, we hear of people working so hard to quickly make their dreams come true, but at what cost? Other aspects of their lives such as their health and relationships suffer at great lengths.

Take time now to slow down and really take pleasure in everything you do. Try to not skip out on the small stuff. It's the small stuff that actually might bring you closer to your dreams. We're all in the same boat. We all want to get to point B, but some of us will just get there a little calmer, a littler wiser, and a little happier.

Michelle Uy is a Certified Yoga Teacher and Owner of LoveActionYoga. She is Co-Creator of the Eat Well Feel Well Program, a yoga and nutrition program, and she is also certified to teach Yoga Thrive, a therapeutic yoga program for cancer survivors.