I love this sport and have been a part of it for many decades. There have been successes and challenges. And while the challenges have made the successes sweeter, the entire process has defined the satisfaction derived and the reason I’ve been able to have longevity in archery.

The truism is that the journey is the end point. We may not recognize this while chasing a medal, or another rung in the archery hierarchy, but those achievements are fleeting points in time. The wealthy man is the one who has enjoyed the process of becoming wealthy, not the wealth itself. And of course wealth is measured many different ways.

One of the great pleasures I’ve had is watching archers grow in the sport. I see these archers quite often and watch them excel, fail and ultimately move forward. I can only wonder if they appreciate that the journey, with all its interruptions, challenges, tears, laughter, failures and occasional successes, is the point of the sport.

From time to time, I’ll run across folks who chase ‘the dream’, whatever that means for them, with no passion for the activity. It might be something that has come easily to them, or perhaps they were pushed to try some sort of extracurricular activity. I have empathy for those individuals when I see it. They could be doing something else which gives them great satisfaction; any activity for which they get up in the morning and look forward to pursuing.

Whatever you choose to do as a vocation, or avocation, be passionate, be present and relish the time doing it.