Sep 28 2014
Is your best good enough?
Is your best good enough?
This is the question I asked when I saw
a photo of a Young Marine recruit who
was giving it his all in a foot race.
His eyes were closed, face clenched
in a grimace of pain and determination;
going all out where others might give up.
I wondered if he was in first place or last.
There were no runners behind him -
only a decorated Young Marine ran beside
him in full dress, complete with boots, while
the instructors cheered him on from the sidelines.
Near as I could tell, this was his race;
and any place across the finish line
would be first place for him.
We live in a competetive world, and for
most of us older than 30 we were raised
to try and be number one and be the best.
Now I don’t subscribe to the modern notion
that every person who enters a race should
be given a gold medal just because they ran.
That mindset ends up teaching entitlement and
that hard work doesn’t pay off because you’ll
be rewarded just because you show up…
But I don’t want to get off topic here,
so back to the race against Self.
I ran track all through my school years until
an injury took me out later in high school.
I remember 3 kinds of racing.
Racing against the clock.
Racing against our fellow teammates.
Racing against runners from our rival school.
All of these helped train us and test us
to be the best runner we could be.
But it was the race against ourselves
that would reveal the most challenge.
In Life, the real race isn’t always going
to be running against someone else.
There won’t always be a time clock
or crowds cheering you on to victory.
It’s just you.
It’s your race.
Because we all have a different race to run,
and no matter what – we’ve got to give it
everything we’ve got to win it.
Don’t compare yourself to someone else and
the race they’re running – stay in your lane!
DO look for inspiration, encouragement and
motivation to do YOUR best – to push yourself
forward and pull yourself up should you fall.
It is the only way you will ever know
the blue ribbons and gold medals that
await you on your Life track to success….
