I was on my way to the Dominican Republic—a journey that required time away from my family, friends, and the privileged American lifestyle I was accustomed to. Over the course of the next year plus, I was expected to learn a new language, adapt to an entirely foreign culture, and take on a new persona. To put it mildly, I was terrified. Totally and utterly petrified.

While I nervously sat in the JFK Airport in New York during a layover, a quote on the wall written in big bold letters captured my attention. It read, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” I read over it a few times, trying to digest its implication and apply it to my particular situation. 

As cliché as it is, “finding joy in the journey” really is essential to your overall well-being. (Lyubomirsky, 2010). Huge life events don’t usually deliver the blast of joy we expect them to—and even if they do, it’s likely short-lived. (Harris, 2015). Additionally, these spurts of joy are so few and far between that we’d spend most of our lives in anticipation rather than enjoying the process.