Out of the Darkness Into the Light

8. Finish line…. Run your own race; you are not running against someone else but against yourself and time. You determine how fast or slow you go based on how hard you are willing to push yourself, and time will determine how long you have the opportunity to do what you are gifted to do. Stop trying so hard to catch up with those you envy because when you get to the end of their road you’ll find out that their ending doesn’t accommodate you. Stop slowing down for those who are only comfortable with your mediocrity, they will never apologize for allowing you to forfeit your destiny. But run your own race, you’ll finish your race and be happier doing it. I think I used to be what is colloquially referred to as a “hater (pronounced hayta;)” not so much because I wanted to be them or even because I wanted what they had but simply because I looked at the timeline and said “it should be me now-this is what I should have.” I was unable to truly celebrate the greatness in others because I spent too much time in comparison to and even in competition with others (all in MY OWN mind of course.) I spent countless wasted moments trying to figure out why I hadn’t yet arrived. I was rarely satisfied with my personal victories and I was rarely content with others having even greater victories than my own- I think I often thought that it would have been better to have been someone, something, or somewhere else and that’s because I really didn’t know (and as a result appreciate) me. Self esteem, Self confidence, Self assurance, Self worth, Self determination and actualization- it is so important to know thyself; notice I didn’t say self aggrandizement. No one should think of himself or herself as larger than they are however on a basic level you should at least see yourself as large. You have a large contribution to make to society; there are a large number of people counting on you to be the best that you can be so that they in turn can be the best that they could be; and your ideas are large-possibly even too big for the small minded that surround you. If we actually realized just how LARGE WE WERE, we wouldn’t have to pretend to be large and we wouldn’t seek some else’s grandeur. If I could have rested in the totality of who I was as well as in the belief that all things pertaining to my life would come to fruition in due time then maybe I wouldn’t have chased so many pipe dreams; maybe I wouldn’t have almost crashed trying to occupy someone else’s lane. Can you imagine everyone traveling down a major highway and no one being able to decide which lane they wanted to be in simply because they thought they could travel faster or better in the next lane just because a car passed them by? Someone will say that the previous scenario is normal traffic; I call it road rage. It is as equally outrageous to continue to change lanes in your life simply because someone seems to reach their destination faster than you are reaching yours. The biggest part of knowing you is knowing how fast you can go, how far you can go between rest stops, which is your best route (considering your vehicle and other conditions such as weather) and finally trusting that with all things considered that you will reach your destination not a second sooner or later than you were supposed to. I’m here to release somebody from the expectation that they have to perform like somebody else or for somebody else- all you have to do is be you. Being “you” is only thing that you can do authentically, anything else is good imitation at best. The only schedule that you are on is yours and the only time- yours. So runners, riders, drivers or walkers (whatever your speed is cool,) I urge you to take YOUR mark, get set, get ready and go and when you go don’t look for anybody else because the only way you lose this race is if you don’t run your race.