The race of life ought to be done jejely with each person running his or her race relaxed and focused on on the lane set before them by God.
But often times, some of us expend so much energy all in a bit to be at par with others with whom we perceive as competitors.
People violate their game plan just to be at equal pace with others forgetting if only they can focus on the ground immediately in front of them and not on the pack of people who seem to be ahead, the would automatically win.
Life is no competition. You have your race to run, I have mine to run and so does every other person.
You are in competition no one else but you to become a better version of you.
Have a game plan, stick to it and maintain your pace. Do not allow the expectations of people around you overwhelm you and escalate to the point that you feel inadequate or unworthy.
Each of us have a unique race to run. It ours alone and no one else's and as such should not be compared with anyone's race.
Letting in the stigma of judgement, comparison and envy can make you stay off course and violate the full expression of your unique contribution.
The full expression of our potential becomes short lived because we are busy chasing "ghost runners" and have lost sight of the end goal and of ourselves.
It doesn't matter how fast the other person gets to the finish line, yours is to stay focused on your race and get to the finish line maintaining your lane and pace. You will automatically win one day.
It is often said "It is not how fast but how well." Yours is to finish well at the end. Let your goal be your focus and motivation to keep running your own race without minding how fast someone else is running.
That you eventually get to the finish line is by God's grace and not by your strength, smartness or acquisitions.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 says "I have seen something under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all."
We all have good and bad things happen to us all. We may have had the chance to get what we want, be where we had hoped to be etc but did not turn out as we had hoped. But time will widen the possibility of the oddity.
That you get to the finish line at the end irrespective of the time is only by God's grace. That's why Romans 9:16 says "So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth Mercy."
Focus on the finish line, maintain your line, run at your pace and stop focusing or bothering yourself on the race of another person.
You need not violate your game plan or try to manipulate things just to get ahead. At the end, you will automatically win.
A story was told of a race that was organised between two communities in India and the strongest of both communities (Duryodhan and Bhemm) came out to compete.
As the race began, both were running at an equal pace but few seconds later, Bheem got ahead. Duryodhan seeing Bheem had gotten ahead, increased his pace but to no avail. He couldn't meet up with Bheem.
Not able to see Bheem get ahead of him, he decided to carry out an evil act or play foul. He tripped Bheem so he would fall and then get ahead in the race.
After the evil deed, Duryodan actually went ahead of Bheem in the race and took the lead but Bheem, few seconds later was at equal pace with Duryodhan, finally took the lead and won the race.
After the race, Duryodan asked the commander Bheeshm Ptamaah why he lost the race even after making Bheem tripp.
Paraphrasing Bheeshm response, he said to him that yes, you both are powerful hence your running at an equal pace at the initial stage of the race.
Duryodhan asked why Bheem got ahead of him and the commander's response was he saw Bheem ahead of him because he focused on Bheem's race and not the finish line or his race.
As a result, he got distracted, scared of the loosing the race and then plotted the evil in his mind which he carried out.
Duryodhan still asked why he lost even after the evil deed, and the commander's response was though Bheem fell but he became more determined than ever and released his full potential to win the race.
All we need to run our race and get to the finish line is to stay positive and focused on the finish line or goal.
You need not try to shorten another person's line just to get ahead but lengthen your own line with the right mindset, hope, faith and the belief that you can make it.
Envy no one, wish no one evil, stop the competition and comparison. Just focus on you and your race. You will automatically win one day.
Quote for the day - "Winning isn't getting ahead of others. It is getting ahead of yourself." - Roger Staubach.
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