708 km, 27 days, many challenges, life lessons, pain, joy, wonderful people.
That’s how I would summarize the experience of this holy journey, this pilgrimage filled with light and blessings.
I started in Pamplona and walked all the way to the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, practically crossing Spain from East to West.
There were many experiences that moved and touched me on this journey, but what I want to share with you are 9 ideas, 9 life lessons that I walked away with, lessons I discovered or integrated more deeply, and I hope they reach you and remind you of the important things in life.
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1. **Enjoy the Journey, Not Just the Destination**
I’m sure you’ve heard this saying before. I had heard it many times too and kept repeating it to myself, but it wasn’t until I actually experienced it that I managed to integrate it and feel it “in my bones.”
It was a very challenging journey, especially the first 2 weeks.
On the first day, I walked 23 km. I left around 8 a.m. from Pamplona. I stopped every 2 km because my feet hurt terribly.
When I arrived and checked in, I relaxed a little and looked at my guidebook and map, and it seemed impossible to cover almost 70 more km, given the effort and pain I had already endured on day one. I barely crawled through 23 km and thought I would take it easier from now on, doing 10-15 km a day. Maybe in 40 days, I would finish.
On the second day, blisters appeared, then a corner of my toenail dug into my flesh and hurt incredibly. At one point, I wanted to give up and return home, but despite the physical pain, the journey brought me immense joy, moments of grace and ecstasy, connection with nature, freedom, grandeur, peace, and connection with my true self.
There were moments when I literally shed tears of happiness and wonder, moments when I truly felt alive.
The final destination seemed so far away, and I realized it didn’t matter much that I had walked another km or that an hour had passed. The only viable strategy was to forget about reaching the destination and enjoy the journey, the experiences I was living.
Many times in the mornings, I would remind myself of my intentions for this journey, bring them to the forefront, and so the journey no longer seemed like an effort but a choice and a blessing.
The physical suffering lasted about 2 weeks, but after passing León, I felt like I could fly. I lightened my load, dropping from 14 kg to about 10, and I lost about 3 kg, so the journey became much easier. I gained strength, and it was even a pleasure to walk.
When I had about 100 km left, I had no more challenges. I was already in Santiago in my mind. I was walking over 30 km a day now, and arriving at the destination was no longer something extraordinary as it seemed at the beginning. In fact, when I arrived at the Cathedral and the service, I wasn’t moved at all. That moment led me to the realization and integration of this wise saying: **Enjoy the ride!**
Because I realized how much of the experience and joy of this journey I would have lost if I had been constantly thinking “it’s almost over, I have to get there.” I would have been so focused on the goal that I would have missed everything that happened within me—the realizations—and probably when I reached the end, I would have thought, “So what?”
Maybe it has happened to you as well: you set a goal, you achieve it, and then you say, “So what?” It doesn’t bring the satisfaction you thought it would.
That’s why I believe it’s incredibly important to enjoy the process and not be so focused on whether you reach the destination. The journey is what will bring you what you need, not the destination.
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2. **Each of Us Has a Need for Spirituality**
One of the most common questions when meeting other pilgrims was: “Why did you come on the Camino?”
And I heard different reasons: “To overcome myself,” “To gain self-confidence,” “For vacation,” “To meet interesting people,” “To prepare for an ultramarathon,” a group of Venezuelans said, “To change the president,” and other such reasons. However, I didn’t hear anyone say, “I’m on a spiritual journey.” (I admit, I only started saying that the purpose was spiritual in the second part of the journey.)
Among so many people, so diverse, no one said that, yet my belief is that most people, if not all, are there because something within them called them on this path—a search within, whether they consciously realize it or not.
I met a guy from the Netherlands who was very sociable and we even joked about how he would stop in every bar and café along the route to socialize. He told me that he kept track in his journal not of his inner feelings, but of what nationalities he met along the way. He said:
“Until now, I’ve met people from 52 countries, but you’re the first Romanian.”
Indeed, I didn’t meet any other Romanians along the way, although I know some people who have been or are planning to go.
Regardless of nationality or belief, I believe that we all have a part of us seeking connection with our inner self or with the Divine, however each person names it.
I was talking to a girl from Canada with whom I connected very quickly and asked her what she thought about the need for spirituality? Does it exist in all of us? She said, “Yes, for sure.”
And if it exists, is it a higher need or a basic one?
She paused to think and replied, “I think it’s a basic need.” I agreed with her.
I believe this need for spirituality has been in us since ancient times when people barely had enough to eat and lived in tents or huts. Yet, often we don’t recognize it or we reject it and satisfy it in other ways that don’t benefit us, like excessive work, addictions, etc.
What’s your opinion? Do you think Maslow forgot to include the need for spirituality in his hierarchy of needs, or is it just a need that some people have?
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3. **It Never Ends. There’s Always the Next Level**
Sometimes, I felt the urge to hurry, to reach the end faster, but I realized an important secret: there’s no need to rush—where would I even be rushing to? Because it never ends. So why not enjoy the journey?
I realized I had fallen into this trap for years: that I had to finish this project now, hold these seminars, earn this money, make this trip, and once it’s all done, I could relax and never have to work or stress again.
I had heard from one of my mentors, even before this journey, that “it never ends; there’s always the next level, in anything you do,” and I knew there was a powerful message there, but I hadn’t reached its core.
How do you walk 700 km?
You break it down into 20 km a day.
How do you walk 20 km a day?
You break it into stops every 1.5 hours (about 5-6 km).
How do you walk 5 km?
One step at a time.
I met a Norwegian who had had a head injury and was in recovery, unable to exert too much effort. I asked him, “How do you make it on this journey?” He replied, “One step at a time.”
The message I want to share with you is that there’s no need to rush.
Patience is a virtue that makes life much more beautiful.
I know many say “Live every day like it’s your last,” and from one point of view, it makes sense. But for me, the idea that resonates much more is that I have all the time in the world. It’s much more important to do everything slowly and with pleasure than to be agitated, always rushing, stressed, and thinking I have to get somewhere. Because there’s nowhere to get to.
For me, it wasn’t about getting to Santiago. I wanted to, of course, that was my intention, but if it hadn’t been possible, I wouldn’t have had any problem letting go. Because this journey wasn’t about surpassing my limits (I’ve done a lot of crazy things like that before), it was for my soul.
And for the soul, there is no rush because there is no time.
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4. **You Can Be an Inspiration to Others in Everyday Life, Not Just in a Certain Role**
I don’t know how much you resonate with this idea, but if your life isn’t just about you and you want to bring light into the lives of those around you, you can do so, without being a trainer, coach, or healer.
I chose the path of Professional Speaking because it’s part of my mission, and by stepping into this role, I’ve helped many people transform their lives and reach the next level.
But with those close to me or in everyday life, I was in a completely different story, and only “on stage” was I in this role.
There were a few moments during this journey when I realized how much impact you can have on people (even those you meet for just 20 minutes).
I met another girl from Canada who was going through a period of change and looking for something to give her strength.
On this journey, I also took the “Course in Miracles,” and I had an exercise every day. One day, the message I was integrating was: “God in my strength. Vision is his Gift,” and my intuition told me to share this message with her. I showed her the book and told her my experience and how it helped me.
Two days later, I was sitting in a bar in León and talking to a German, and the Canadian girl entered the bar. She sat next to us and immediately told me: “You were right, the Course in Miracles is really helping me!” She was shining!
I hadn’t expected such a quick reaction, and it felt great to see how my story, my openness, and vulnerability had helped her!
For me, this was an incredible experience because I hadn’t made any effort to influence her. It was just a small piece of me that I shared along the way, and it made a big difference.
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5. Follow the signs, don’t run from yourself!
From my perspective, Camino is about BEING YOU with Yourself and getting closer to yourself. Although many came in groups and did this journey as a hike and a group experience, I was wondering how they would find the time and peace necessary to be with themselves and truly listen to themselves.
I was asking myself this question, without realizing that in a way, I was doing the same thing, just in a different manner: I had loaded many audiobooks onto my phone.
And in the first 3 days, I listened non-stop almost the entire way.
However, on day 3, something strange happened: the new headphones stopped working well and I had to keep the plug in a specific position for them to work. It got worse and more frustrating.
That evening, because the contact was bad, it automatically started an audio course, and I wanted to stop it and delete it. But accidentally, I selected all the files and hit delete.
When I realized I had deleted them all, over 100 files—my entire treasure from Camino—I turned pale. I was furious and couldn’t believe I had made such a mistake.
I tried to recover them, to download them again, but without success.
The next day, I talked to my friend and told her about it, and her reaction shocked me. She was very happy that they were deleted and said, “Finally, now you can be with yourself.”
I realized that it wasn’t an accident, and that part of me with which I came to connect had determined that this should happen.
Often, we run from ourselves, using very creative strategies: from being very busy, to distractions, going out to clubs, drinking, stress, and everything in a rush, always being in the company of others because otherwise, we’d get bored, etc.
However, by doing this, we lose the essential. We lose the opportunity to find out who we are, what is truly important to us, and what we really desire. And we end up “borrowing” desires and goals from others.
Do you like being with yourself and listening to yourself? Or do you do everything possible and find all kinds of excuses to avoid moments of being alone with yourself?
6. There is an important difference between pain and suffering
As I told you, the first two weeks were extremely challenging physically and due to the pains I felt, especially in my legs. Blisters, raw spots, wounds, muscle pain, boots that were too tight, etc.
Not to mention that I went from burning sun, where my face was peeling, to snow, hail, rain, walking in mud, sleeping in different conditions, etc.
And I was complaining to my loved ones at home about these conditions and how hard it was.
Until I met a Belgian who had done Camino two years ago, but not the classic 700km route, he started from Belgium—almost 2000 km. And now, he was coming from Santiago, and guess where he was going? To Jerusalem, to the Holy Tomb. That’s 7000 km in 7 months.
I saw he already had blisters and asked him, “How do you make such a long journey with blisters and all that effort?”
“They’re just blisters—it’s physical pain. In 10 days, it will pass.” His answer shocked me, but it had so much depth that I realized physical pain doesn’t have to become suffering.
It becomes suffering when you become a victim, complaining and asking yourself why you have to go through this. And you don’t see that by going through this, you are actually healing on all levels, including emotionally.
This doesn’t mean you should now go out searching for physical pain or injury, but when it appears while pursuing a higher goal, much bigger than yourself, treat it as part of the process.
7. Nature is Healing. Stay as much as possible in Nature
Whether you are aware of it or not, when you stay more in nature, you heal. Mentally, emotionally, and physically.
The sun heals low emotions like shame, guilt, etc.
Flowing water cleanses anger, aggression, dissatisfaction.
The wind blows away fears.
This journey was a blessing and a healing experience. Especially when you do it consciously and work on yourself with this intention.
Go into nature weekly if you have the chance and connect with nature… even if you don’t yet know or understand what is happening deep inside.
8. Sometimes the best solution is to surrender. Allow yourself!
I know this sounds strange. I’ve always wondered what surrender means. I knew it was a high spiritual level corresponding to a high level of consciousness, but I didn’t understand it.
If you surrender and let yourself go with the flow of life, where will you end up, what will happen?
There were a few moments when I thought I was going to quit.
Almost near León, a sharp pain hit my tendon, and if it worsened, I thought I might not be able to continue.
What came to me to say then was, “Lord, let Your will be done. If I must quit, I will quit. If You want me to finish this journey, I will finish.”
And surprisingly (or not), in a few hours, the pain passed.
When we are not attached to a specific outcome and do the best we can with detachment, and if we align with the Divine Will, I believe we no longer use our effort but God’s power, which is limitless.
9. Don’t expect laurels or rewards
I felt like I was doing something important, and that the path I was walking meant something and required a certain effort and dedication. I thought the people I met would appreciate this.
However, I realized that everyone is so caught up in their own world that very few are interested in you, your goals, your project, no matter how great it may be or how much you think you will change the world.
Unfortunately, each one is only concerned with their own problems.
However, this doesn’t change anything as long as you’re not doing it for laurels or rewards, but for yourself and for your soul, because it makes you feel good.
I realized that many activities I’ve done until now were from ego and the need for importance: whether they were social projects, big seminars, donations, etc. But these can only bring momentary satisfaction and only make me want more and more of that feeling, but they don’t lead to real satisfaction.
No matter what you do, no matter what job or activity you’re engaged in, and even if it involves helping others improve their lives in one way or another, don’t expect praise and thanks.
Do it because it brings you joy.
And if it doesn’t bring you joy, don’t do it anymore. Align yourself with your mission, because that will surely bring you the greatest satisfaction in life.
These are a few of the insights I received during this journey, and I wanted to pass them on, to share them with you. I hope at least one sentence or word resonates with you and brings you closer to YOURSELF.
The journey never ends. After Santiago, I reached the Ocean, at the end of the Old World.