Is life only about a race to meet deadlines and wins? Many of us were taught there’s always a race to be the best—from report cards to performance and even promotions at work. And in a world designed around success and scarcity, there is never enough.
We don’t really have to imagine we are in a race, trying to win. Because we are.
But what if we look around? And discover there’s a whole world to explore. Why run in circles or ever feel less than?
Planning is everywhere too. Financial advisors force us to think about how much money we will need and assume we all retire. But that’s no longer true. And do they know what we need?
Maybe we will sell or trade our stuff for a different type of life when we are ready. Perhaps we will no longer have vacations but be in a place, we enjoy every day. And there is no reason to vacate or retreat when we are in balance; no longer racing around trying to be superman or superwoman.
Life doesn’t always go as planned. When it doesn’t, we may realize that a gift is likely hidden in the chaos. Perhaps the universe is handing us the opportunity to become creative and truly alive.
Being open to life’s peculiar twists and turns is becoming more important, especially since there will be more and more storms coming our way—some nature related, some man made, and some artificial—over the next few years.
Rather than resisting or forcing, see what happens when we learn to trust the currents. Because when there is resistance, there is always a lesson.
We have a choice to keep things simple or make them complex. We can say what we mean and practice radical honesty or hide behind our words. And we can accept the gift of speaking from our heart or stay trapped.
We get to choose fear or creation. Everything is already here. And one of the greatest gifts is not only questioning everything that no longer makes sense, but pausing without a plan. No longer in the race.
Our minds have been trained to be busy. They’re like noisy machines. Sometimes, we need to turn them off. We need to sit and think. Or maybe not think at all.
What if our next adventure is waiting? It might be big. It might be small. But it’s ours.
Life is definitely much more than a race. It’s a journey of the heart filled with compassion and kindness for ourselves (no longer needing to win) and each other (no longer competing in a race).
“Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over. After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way.”― Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere