Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird:
Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do—the actual act of writing—turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.
As time passes we all realize that things and stuff will not make us happy no matter what we buy or make, that the key part is the journey. The process not the outcome. The ceremony not the tea.