The Importance of Running Your Own Race in Life
I love the marathon because it’s an atmosphere where a bunch of runners — all shapes and sizes, male and female, young and old — come together in community, yet each has his own goal attached.
Race day is about individual excellence. And the race of life is exactly like that.
It’s powerful to live life on your own terms. Yes, it’s scary. But it’s definitely more fulfilling. Even if someone else’s life seems perfect, you’re called to be faithful to your own race.
You might have set career, personal, or business goals you want to achieve. Comparison and envy may tempt us but we can come back to the truth of who God says we are. Don’t lose sight of the end goal and in turn, lose sight of yourself.
You’ll never change anything when you’re trying to be like someone else that’s why you need to grasp The Importance of Running Your Own Race in Life. It will help you build rock-solid confidence. So the sooner you learn to do this, the better.
Many people sadly spend every second of their lives chasing an ideal that was never meant for them. You have a unique and valuable contribution to make in your own sphere of influence. This could be in your home, work, business, or at church. Start competing against yourself. Compare you to you.
The Power of Running Your Own Race
Do you know what I love most about running a marathon? I love many aspects of racing. I love the endorphins. I love being looked at as a little crazy. I love the challenge and the community.
I love the swag and medals. But all these are just gravy. What I love more than anything else about running a marathon is that I’m not trying to beat anyone else except myself. I love how it is a sport full of community, but it is also about individual performance and achievement.
Runners are all participating in the same race, yet their goals, their game plan, and their training are all unique. Unless you’re an elite, running isn’t defined by winning the race. Rather, winning is defined by individual accomplishment.
Isn’t this the same with life? Individuals can have different goals and different game plans, yet both can win their own race.
I love the marathon because, rather than trying to beat each other down, runners encourage each other to keep going. They know that they aren’t competing against each other, they are only competing against themselves.
Winning is defined by individual accomplishment.
When we realize that same thing in the game of life, we can use it as fuel to drive us closer to our goals and dreams, and we can encourage and help others do the same.
It’s so different from the corporate arena where your manager doesn’t want you to know all that he does because he wants to keep you where you’re at. He doesn’t want you to surpass him. Sometimes work is a cutthroat environment, and there is a ton of competition and insecurity. It’s almost a fend-for-yourself mentality where only one can win.
Key Lessons from the 2018 Boston Marathon
At the 2018 Boston Marathon, we saw the camaraderie and encouragement that played out. It was a beautiful thing to watch. On this crazy day with a 30-degree chill, drenching rain, and 25 mph headwinds, Desiree Linden felt terrible and wasn’t feeling her race that day.
She was in pain and had intentions of dropping out. The conditions proved difficult for most.
So she decided, “Why not help someone else?” Fellow Olympic runner Shalane Flanagan was near, so she reached out and let her know she may need to drop out, so she could help her, be her headwind, or whatever else she needed for the time being.
Flanagan had to stop at the restroom, and Linden even stopped to wait for her. Linden knew the principle that even though it looks like they are competing against each other, they really are just competing against themselves to be their very best.
What happened? Somehow, Linden got a second wind after stopping at the bathrooms and went on to not only finish but also become the first American woman to WIN the prestigious Boston race. What did she do? She took her eyes off herself and encouraged another runner.
The Importance of Running Your Own Race in Life
The most important mindset principle for success when you’re competing as a runner is to stay focused on the ground in front of you. If you’re running a marathon for the first time, you shouldn’t spend too much energy too early.
While this may inspire fear in the other runners and make them think they’re losing. But those who come up with their plan, don’t worry about the person ahead of them. They maintain their pace, stick to their goals and training plan and they’re likely to finish near the front.
To win in the race of life, you need to grasp The Importance of Running Your Own Race.
Running Your Own Race is an Act of Obedience to God
Chasing your life goals at your own pace allows you to hold onto God’s promises and find strength and hope. It leads you to know your identity in Christ which becomes a firm foundation that you can stand on.
Being true to who God designed you to be in an act of obedience to His will and purpose for your life. And there is always a reward when we are obedient to our Heavenly Father.
God uniquely created each of us with our own skills, talents, and gifts. These allow you to fulfill your own unique purpose. The race you’re running is for you alone.
The most important person whose opinion matters is God. Don’t allow the voices of people to overshadow His voice. Stop worrying about what others think and say of you because you have no control over that. At the end of the day, you’ll be accountable to God and not to people.
“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 (NASB)
Focusing on your own goals allows you to thrive
We have different passions, experiences, skills, and opportunities giving us all a unique race to run. You end up being exhausted trying what different people are doing and trying to fit in with it all.
Running your own race allows you to know your strengths and operate within them. When you pursue goals in God’s way, you thrive.
It’s so empowering to stay true to yourself. Live your own life in the way that brings out the best in you. Set your own rules and path. Every human being is a masterpiece, created for their own work on earth.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
Running your unique race teaches you to accept and love yourself
Most of the time you may find that you feel good about your personal life. You’re a successful entrepreneur, a doting mother, an amazing wife, or a valuable member of your team at work. You’re content until you see someone better than you in any of those areas.
Then you start to doubt yourself and feel less than. You start to drown in stress and become resentful of those people. The worst thing is you feel inadequate. That you’re not enough. You’re not achieving much and it eats you up inside and discourages you.
The truth is our stories are a work in progress. There will be disruptions and setbacks along the way. You need to accept yourself and love yourself as you navigate it all. It’s beautiful that we’re not the same. Our life stories may intersect but they’ll never be identical.
You realize your own version of success
The truth is success looks different for everyone because our values are different. The vision you have for your life is not the same as mine. For some success is running a half marathon and completing it. A shy high school boy may feel that success is having a best friend.
For others, it’s having their own businesses. For many women, it’s being the best mom they can be. When you’re falling into the comparison trap it’s important to remember this.
Social media highlights the success of others and not their struggles. It’s the nice cars, expensive vacations, and flashy lifestyles that we are bombarded with. This messes with our minds and causes us to be discouraged and discontent with our own lives. Spending endless time mindlessly scrolling on social media is a dangerous habit because of this very reason.
When you see someone sharing their wins on social media, you can remind yourself that you have your own journey to run. What someone is doing doesn’t have a bearing on what you’re doing.
Those with similar businesses may seem to be doing better. But it’s time to look at your own plan, pace, and strategy. Don’t waste your precious time feeling inadequate because you can define what success looks like for you.
Running your own race energizes you
“My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: ‘Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you’ll win…’”
– Carl Lewis
Spending too much time looking at what others are doing can slow you down. Your energy level decreases as you grow tired and discouraged. Trying to run someone else’s race instead of your own causes you to stumble and often fall.
We are not in competition with each other but should complement one another. The good thing about running the race of life as a Christian is we all want to finish and win the prize but we’re not in direct competition.
The quality of eternal life is the same for us all. There are no special medals for the top performers. We all get the same medal. That’s why Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with him in paradise that very day.
It didn’t matter that he repented on his final breath whereas others become saved at a young age. Ultimately we’re saved by God’s grace.
It’s also a lot more fun, encouraging, and energizing to run your own race and focus on your own progress.
Chasing your own goals reduces stress and anxiety
When you compare yourself or your own work to someone else you start to experience fear and anxiety. You realize they’re better or stronger and you’ll never measure up. But their unique gift and talent helps them fulfill their purpose.
You feel less anxious when you run your own race and do things your own way. One way to practice running your own race and being happier and more fulfilled is by keeping a gratitude journal. Tracking your wins and good things each day in a notebook just before going to bed.
This simple practice helps build momentum. As Dr Benjamin Hardy says “[When you cultivate this habit] you feel like you’re always winning and making progress.”
You learn to collaborate better
We can learn from the experience of others and allow their journey to encourage us but ultimately we need to run our own race, make steady progress, and reach the finish line.
It’s far more rewarding to collaborate and cooperate and forge your own path forward in life than it is to compete against others and follow the herd. Remember even if someone else’s life seems perfect, you’re called to be faithful to your own race.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”
– Albert Einstein
Knowing The Importance of Running Your Own Race in Life can change your mindset and your journey. It brings joy, hope strength, fulfillment, and ultimately success to your life.
When you run your unique race, it’s an act of obedience to God, it allows you to thrive, you learn to accept yourself, energizes you, reduces stress and anxiety, makes you realize what success looks like for you, and enables you to collaborate effectively.
So when you’re going after a goal, remember that you can win too. Choosing your own path on your own terms may be super scary but it’s worth it. Get in the race of life and compete WITH others, not AGAINST them.
