EKAITZ SAIES

When I stepped away from competitive sport twelve years ago, I was at peace. I had lived a life that many dream of, travelling the world, pushing the limits of my body and mind, competing at the highest level. I had achieved many of the goals I had set as a young athlete, though not all. And that, I came to realise, was entirely fine.

In the months leading up to announcing my retirement, I found myself returning to a phrase that had guided me throughout the ups and downs of my career: Enjoy the rocky path. It was more than a mantra. It became a way of seeing the world, and eventually, the inspiration behind a small collection of T-shirts, jumpers and hats that I began to design and share. Every item carried that message. And every penny from the sales, 100% of it, was donated to a children’s charity close to my heart.

The phrase speaks to something deeply human. We are conditioned to chase goals, medals, job titles, social validation, as though reaching the summit is all that matters. But the truth is, very little of life is lived at the summit. Most of it unfolds in the climb.

I learnt to stop defining myself by the medal I didn’t win or the Olympics I didn’t race. Instead, I found meaning in the effort, in the grind, in knowing that I gave it everything I had. That shift in mindset, from outcome to journey, freed me. It allowed me to measure success not just in trophies, but in the richness of the experience itself.

It is more important to learn to value the path we take towards our dreams than to focus solely on reaching our destination.

Because let’s be honest, the path is rarely smooth. It is rocky, unpredictable, littered with obstacles that no plan can foresee. But it’s in confronting those rocks, stumbling on them, learning to climb over them, that we grow.

Every scrape and setback adds weight to the story we carry. And in that story lies strength. The more we embrace the imperfections of the journey, the more resilient we become. We fill our backpacks with life experiences, lessons, friendships, scars, moments of pure joy, and they carry us further than any shortcut ever could.

So yes, enjoy the rocky path. Because one day, when the race is run and the lights dim, what remains won’t be the destination, but the texture of the road that brought you there.