When I was in high school, I once did very poorly on an important exam. My father didn’t punish me, but told me one simple sentence “fishing itself is more important than the fish.”
I was a bit unsure hearing that. I know that my father loves fishing. I often saw him release the fish after catching them. And he had told me more than once that he went fishing just because he wanted to feel the rod in his hands as the fish plays with the hook, and to feel the thrill of lifting the fish out of the water. But I could not find out what his words have to do with me.
I repeated his words over and over again. Then I began to understand what he really meant. To his way of thinking, the process of doing something is much more important than the result. And I realized a truth that I could cherish: those who are optimistic and self-confident, and who enjoy doing something new, worry less about failure. They see in every activity a process of self-discovery and self-fulfillment that can not be measured by an exam or the number of fish in one’s basket.
Unfortunately, too many people think differently. These people insist that it is only the result that matters. A bad result makes them dissatisfied with themselves far more than it should. And the more they feel this way, the more they forgot what little they learned. Yes, I now said to myself, fishing itself is much more important than the fish. Although four years have passed, I can still remember the moment when my father said
that sentence to me.
We need to appreciate the value in living, despite its many setbacks. Roads are for the journey, not the destination. Sunshine awaits those who keep the path！
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