Running My Own Race

Sometimes when I get up in the morning and things are more clear from a good nights rest I will have the most amazing epiphanies. This morning I had a beautiful thought and wanted to share.

I am fairly competitive in just about everything I do. So often times when I view the world I view it as a race. However lately I've been thinking that we don't always start at the same point as everyone else. Example: I know people who were raised in loving homes and that from a young age their main focus in life was to thrive in the world where they were placed. They had people to guide and direct their life, and help them to see there great potential. They seem to have started out ahead a bit in the race. On the flip side of that I know several people who grew up in homes that were merely about survival. From a young age they were in a daily situation of self preservation for their emotional and physical selves. They didn't have help at home on homework or science fair projects. They merely hoped to make it through another day and often times to remain as invisible as possible another self preservation tactic. From my race view of the world I have thought well they started behind the others. So my rationale for a few weeks as been that everyone is starting from different places and will therefore get to the finish line at different times.

Today my big breakthrough was that we aren't running a race against others at all. This life granted to us by a loving Father in Heaven is not about competing with others, it is all about our own individual race. In high school I ran hurdles. I was okay at them, and mostly ran them because my dad had run them when he was in high school. As I tried to beat other scores and compete with those on my team and others I often felt discouraged. But as I practiced and put in the effort and focused on only me and what I was going to achieve I improved. I didn't improve to the point of winning every race or even placing most times, but I improved enough to run at Region as a sophomore a huge accomplishment for me. I realized today that in my own personal race it is all about personal bests.

I am running my own race on my own course. My course can be on level ground sometimes and many times it includes steep inclines, grueling obstacles and often times stormy weather. But I'm not competing against anyone. I am fighting for my own personal best.

I look at those who started out on bumpy courses and see the strength that they have as they continue to race the good race. To continue to get up when they have fallen and to achieve their personal bests.

As a mother I have learned this lesson over and over again. When I compare myself, my children or my marriage to others and then try to compete with what I see of others lives I only seem to feel more discouraged. Mostly because it seems that when my course is particularly bumpy I often look over and think "oh so and so is doing so well" thinking we are running the same race when that person might just be on a level surface of their current race.

When my competitive streak is directed toward myself is when I see the greatest actual achievement versus when I am trying to best someone else I usually don't do as well. When I focus on where I am on the course. What I am facing, and how best to get through the next section and improve my own personal best is when I seem to find contentment, real improvement and success.

So here's to running our own race and besting our own personal best whatever that maybe.