I was talking with a sister friend today and she shared how she lost motivation to do what she was created to do. I was extremely shocked because she is a successful wife, mother, and blogger. She is someone I admire and look up to. With a puzzled look on my face, I asked her why she lost her motivation. My friend revealed that fear and comparing herself to others were the reasons. It all boiled down to her feeling inadequate. As she spoke her truth, I saw myself in her words. Instead of judging her, I took the courageous opportunity to share my truth with her. I told her that at times, I feel inadequate, too. I revealed that fear and I have been at war longer than I can remember. I am also guilty of comparing myself to others and their journeys. As my sister’s keeper, I knew I had to encourage her and myself. I encouraged my sister with these words: “You are you, and only you can do you.” I went on to let her know that we are all on a journey to fulfill our purpose. We are all at different stages on our journey, and we can’t focus on where we are going if we are looking at someone else and their journey.” As we were chatting, the thought came to me of how we have to be like professional runners. Listed below are the reasons why we should be like professional runners.
You must have the right mindset.
Before a runner even enters a race, they must have in their mind that they will accomplish whatever goal they have set for themselves. They have to know that they can and will do whatever they set their mind to do. We have to have this mindset as well. We have to decide what our goals are and know that we can achieve them. We have what we believe. So it is important to check your thinking before you decide to do anything in life.
Stay in your lane.
When runners are racing on a track, they all have their own lanes designated for them. You don’t see any of the runners trying to run in someone else’s lane. In life, we have our own lanes, too. This means that you can’t go into anyone else’s space and do things like they do. Staying in your lane ensures that you are being true to yourself and allowing people to see the authenticity of who you are.
Focus on you.
I have yet to see a professional runner looking around at everyone while they are running. I believe the minute they are given the signal to start running, they zone out. They don’t have time to worry about what’s happening around them, and it’s not their business to know. Their minds are focused on themselves and getting to the finish line. Many of us focus too much on what the other person is doing and not enough on what we should be doing. Since we have lost focus, we are now comparing ourselves to others when we shouldn’t be. This is where the feeling of inadequacy comes in. The truth is we have what it takes to run our own race, but we are inadequate to run someone else’s race.
Today, I urge you to make the decision to run your race your own way. There is no need to try to keep up with the next person. We all have something to do that only we can accomplish. You are right where you are supposed to be. Looking at others will sometimes make you feel like you are behind the eight ball, but you’re not. Everything happens in its own time. Stay focused on what you are supposed to be doing in life. The beauty of it all is that you aren’t racing against anyone. You are the only one on your track. Your track was tailor-made just for you to run. So run it the way only you can run it.
-Sequoia T. Gillyard, The Word Worshiper
*** This article was previously published on the Huffington Post***
