Life is Not a Race

So often we feel behind.  Our society seems to thrive on being busy.  Just think of how we have prioritized speed and efficiency in normal everyday tasks:  fast food & meal delivery, the express check-out lane at the grocery store, next-day and now even same-day shipping!  We are living life at high speed!  No wonder being tired and stressed are so frequently expressed!

The reality is that some things cannot be sped-up.  We all have 24 hours in each day and 7 days in every week.  While we may feel rushed and, in a hurry, we can cram more activities into each day, but we cannot add hours to our day.

Life is not a race.  Life is a journey.

This is especially important to remember when we are feeling behind.  Often, we intend or desire to do much more than what there is time for.  The resulting stress may motivate us to be more efficient, but it also often causes us to evaluate ourselves harshly.  In these times we focus on all that we have intended to accomplish but have not yet completed.  We set our sights on all that remains to be done, and often lose sight of all that has been accomplished already.  It is easy to see how discouragement would result and actually hinder our forward movement.

How valuable it is to pause for a moment and remind ourself that we are not in a race.  We are not competing against anyone else.  We are not behind…. We are at this place right now and the best thing is to move on from here.  It is of great importance to consider all that has been done, to celebrate that and not just continue the frantic pursuit of what remains undone.

Life is a journey, and you are well on your way!

It would do each of us well to celebrate how far we’ve come; the challenges that have been met, the growth and strength gained, the wisdom that has been hard-won in the midst of accomplishments.  The satisfaction of recognizing and celebrating our own progress can add fuel and stamina to our current pursuits.  This is actually a more effective motivator than stress or fear of not “catching-up”.

Celebrate your progress and continue on your course.

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