Some people say life is about the journey. Others say it’s about the destination. I have spent plenty of time over the years thinking about both, but a recent reunion reminded me there is a third answer: the company. As I've got older and wiser, I’ve come to appreciate that the journey teaches you lessons, tests your patience, and gives you the small wins and setbacks that shape you. When I was younger, I was almost exclusively focused on the goal, the destination that gives you something to aim for, a reason to keep moving forward when the journey feels long.
It's interesting how we change over time. Nineteen-year-old Dion would have laughed at this discussion and declared without a shadow of a doubt, as only a nineteen-year-old can, that it's about the goal, lock in, focus and get it done. Cut out the philosophy and stop talking about your feelings and excuses and be relentless until you achieve your goal. In my younger days I’d set a goal, single mindedly pursue it and then go on to the next one. No fanfare. No celebration. It would be on to the next one with the same ferocity.
Fast forward 30 years. At 49, after the highs and lows of business, family, and life, I am far more philosophical. I would still contend that having goals and ambition is critical, but it is equally important to enjoy the journey. You only get one life, and there is more to it than simply ticking off a never-ending list of achievements. If you don't enjoy the journey, what's the point?
But there’s a beautiful quote I like that shifts the paradigm to what matters most in life:
“It’s not about the journey or the destination; it’s about the company.”
I was reminded of how important this is recently at a reunion dinner I hosted at home with the young men I coached to a basketball grand final win in 2019. Back then, they were 17, full of energy, and that teenage mix of overconfidence and uncertainty. Now they’re 23, carving out their own paths in work, study, and life. We laughed over old stories, retold moments from that season that have grown funnier and more exaggerated with time, and shared updates on where life has taken us since.
The real magic from that year wasn’t just the hard-fought win in the grand final or the grind of the training during the season that got us there. It was the time we spent together, and the friendships we collectively formed. Getting to know the personality quirks of each individual, the jokes that made no sense to anyone outside the team, the moments after training when we’d stay back shooting just because no one wanted to leave.
Those are the memories that hold their value. Achieving the goal of winning was awesome. The growth and experiences throughout the journey were great. But it was who we got to experience all of that with that transcended both the journey and the destination. It’s the people we shared the journey with that brought us back together 6 years later.
Life has a way of moving fast. Careers, families, and commitments start to pull people in different directions. But when you get the chance to sit back at the same table years later and pick up like nothing’s changed, that’s when you realise the company you keep isn’t just part of the story. It is the story.
If you strip everything else away, most of what we value in life comes down to the people we share it with. Journeys end. Destinations change. But good company makes every step, and every stop, worth it.