The End of the Rainbow

At the end of every rainbow there’s a pot of gold. When I was a kid, I believed it. I even searched for it a few times. But alas, the riches eluded me.

As adults, we understand that a rainbow is a phenomenon created by light passing through rain. We can’t reach the end of the rainbow because it has no end. The legend of the pot of gold tempts us to search for something that doesn’t exist.

And yet, when you see a rainbow today, you probably still enjoy its beauty.

The Thrill of the Hunt

Despite never finding a pot of gold, I don’t regret looking. Even as a child, I probably knew somewhere in the back of my mind that there was no pot of gold (after all, if there were, wouldn’t everyone have found one?). But that didn’t slow me and my friends down.

We didn’t really care if we found a pot of gold—the fun was in looking for it.

The most exciting part was the moment we set out, and the thrill continued as we navigated each twist and turn. We were on a quest. An adventure. And that was enough for us.

Hidden Pots of Gold

As children, we chase for the thrill of it. As adults, we prefer to know what we’ll get out of something before we’re even willing to tie our shoes.

Our mental landscapes contain hidden ‘pots of gold’—all the things we believe will finally make us whole. We convince ourselves that ‘when I get there’ or ‘when I accomplish this’ everything will fall into place. Our happiness or satisfaction is just up ahead. Over one more hill. Across one more stream.

Yet no matter how many hills we climb the pot of gold remains just out of reach. Even when we arrive at the exact spot we thought it should be, it vanishes moments before it can be secured.

The Work Is the Progress

This cycle of chasing and disappointment is exhausting. It robs us of the energy and motivation we need to care for ourselves. To break this cycle, we have to ask: What exactly is the ‘gold’ we’re chasing?

If our goal is to always feel amazing or to have a perfect body, we’re chasing the unattainable. We’re searching for a pot of gold that doesn’t exist. That pursuit guarantees an endless series of letdowns—leaving us feeling, ironically, less than amazing.

The truth is, we are all ‘works in progress’. There are things we want to improve, changes we want to make, and habits we want to break. But if we only focus on outcomes, they can remain distant, elusive, and sometimes impossible to reach.

What if, instead, we focus on the work itself—not as a burden, but as the outcome?

To be a work in progress means recognizing that progress does not happen without work, and that the work itself is the progress.

If you are a work in progress, then the progress is the work. It’s that simple.  

Embracing this idea means we don’t have to postpone satisfaction until we achieve some far-off goal. We get to feel satisfied each time we act in service of ourselves. The work stops being a burden and becomes the reward.

You Don’t Need a Pot of Gold

A child’s search for the pot of gold doesn’t end in defeat. It’s a success every time.

The treasure is the hunt.

If we can detach ourselves from the need to reach the pot of gold, we can finally see that our success isn’t in the future— it can be here, now, in the effort itself.

“Work in progress” is often used as an apology, a way of saying something isn’t finished yet. I see it differently. If the work is the progress, then every effort you make to take control of how you feel is the treasure itself. The pot of gold was never the point. The point is becoming the kind of person who is willing to search for it.

If you are learning, you are succeeding.

If you are trying, you are winning.

The rainbow has no end, and neither does your capacity to grow. Forget the pot of gold, enjoy the hunt. And don’t forget to look up and marvel at the beauty of the rainbow.

As always, thanks for reading. I’m truly happy you’re here.

All the best,

Nate