Mark Agnew: What the Hell Is a Journey Anyway?

A 14-hour life-and-death struggle in the Arctic should have been a moment of humiliation. Instead, it taught me a valuable lesson. Resilient people love the process. Unresilient people are only focused on the outcome.

With a simple framework, you can turn the cliché “it’s the journey, not the destination” into an actionable way to motivate your people and help them find joy in the process.

Trapped at Sea in the Arctic

On the first night of our 103-day expedition through the Arctic, my teammates and I were humbled by ice.

We had set out to become the first people to kayak the entire Northwest Passage. But first, we had to paddle around an enormous shifting ice pack that trapped us offshore. The ice was constantly moving. We could not go through it. We had to go around.

We had no idea how far it extended.

It took us 14 hours to get back to the place we started. We came close to disaster time and time again.

Fourteen hours of life-and-death struggle. Zero miles.

Instead of defeat, my teammate Eileen turned to the team and shouted:

“WE ARE EXPLORERS!”

We dived into a hug, exhilarated and bonded by the experience.

That moment revealed a hard truth. I had become obsessed with outcomes. Records. World firsts. Destinations. I had forgotten what truly mattered to me. The adventure itself.

That day we saw whales, vast icescapes, and polar bear footprints. Those experiences surpassed the idea of simply finishing. Those 14 hours were the most fun I had had in years.

“The joy of striving is better than arriving” became the bedrock of my approach to life and the core of my keynote, Find Your Polar Bear.

The irony is simple. The moment I focused on the adventure and released attachment to the outcome, the outcome became inevitable. Of course I would go tomorrow. And the day after. Because I enjoyed it. And by simple momentum, I would arrive anyway.

When you love to strive, you always arrive.

At work, in life, in the Arctic. If you love the process, you stick to the process and reach your goals. Even after setbacks, you return because you enjoy it.

When you only love the outcome, the process becomes a necessary evil. You may succeed, but eventually you burn out and stop coming back for more.

What the Hell Is a Journey?

The problem is this. What does it actually mean to strive?

“It’s the journey, not the destination” sounds good. But it is almost impossible to act on without clarity. What is a journey anyway?

A journey is defined by the destination. Without one, you are simply wandering. They blur together.

Am I meant to enjoy the journey when a cold call ends with the phone slammed down? When a shipment goes wrong and the whole team has to stay late?

The secret lies in defining your intrinsic journey.

The Four Types of Intrinsic Journey

An intrinsic journey is one of four things:

• A challenge
• An experience
• Relationships
• A worthy cause

When you can answer these questions, everything changes:

• Am I doing this to challenge myself?
• Am I doing this for a unique experience?
• Am I doing this for the relationships I will build?
• Am I doing this for a meaningful cause?

Suddenly the journey is no longer abstract. It is specific. The destination now supports your intrinsic motivation.

Applying the Framework at Work

If your only goal is securing new clients, then every cold call that ends in rejection feels like failure.

But if your goal is to challenge yourself, then each call is a win. Every time you overcome nerves and practise your craft, you grow. The outcome becomes secondary. You keep showing up.

When a shipment goes wrong and the team stays late, stress can dominate. Or shared urgency can build bonds. Camaraderie forms in tough moments.

If you can answer yes to “Am I doing this for the relationships?” then even adversity becomes part of the journey.

You find meaning in the process.

Why We Succeeded

I was not in the Arctic for records. I was there for the challenge, the experience, and the relationships. On that first night, I got all four.

That is why I would keep going regardless of the outcome. And that is what made success inevitable.

Define the journey. Then you can love the journey.

💡 Would you like to bring Mark Agnew into your organisation to help your teams build resilience, performance, and a deep love of the process? Let us know and we will match you with the right PepTalk expert. Email hello@getapeptalk.com, start a chat on the site, or call +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US). Remember, it is always a good time to get a PepTalk.