Have You Made It?

After midnight, we, the sleep-deprived masses, are bombarded with infomercial images of what it means to have finally reached the pinnacle of success. People, just like you and me, are getting rich working just a few hours a day. They have beautiful homes, expensive cars, endless travel opportunities, and life is a perpetual vacation. Smiling and relaxed, they havent a care in the world. Surely, these people know that they have made it. Don't they?

What does it mean to make it? The phrase implies a destination, a goal, a milestone, perhaps even a point when one can finally rest, relax, sit back and enjoy life. It also begs the question: what's next? Is it even possible to reach a point where there is nothing more to learn, no further goals, no loftier dreams to chase? I desperately hope not.

Humans are curious creatures. It is in our very nature to chase the horizon. We might all define the horizon in different terms, but the concept is the same for all of us: a point in the distance that we have not yet reached, a goal. In that sense, we've all made it, in big ways and small ways, going back to our toddler days when we took our first wobbly steps. In the same sense, we never really make it, because there will always be new horizons to chase.

Today my goal was to become a writer. Sure, for a while now I've fancied myself a writer. I've spent loads of time reading about writing, researching about writing, thinking up topics to write about, seeing what other writers have to say about writing, and scouting out places to post all the dazzling words of wisdom I would someday write. Many happy hours were wasted fantasizing about seeing my name in print and traveling the country on a book tour, not to mention cashing in fat royalty checks. But for today, my "horizon" was to simply, finally put words down on paper. So today, I have made it.

What does it feel like? It's a momentary rush. There's pride in the accomplishment, relief at having it done, and anxiety over how it will be received. There is the knowledge that I will never really be happy with it, even if the reviews are good. But the most satisfying part of this endeavor was that reaching this goal frees me up to ask myself the question: what's next? Because whether the goal is material, personal, or professional, the wanting of something brings its own uniquely human pleasure. Throughout our lives we set ourselves up to experience it again and again.

How will I know if I've made it? I hope I never find out.