Greetings Friends,

Every living being has a race to run provided you are alive. Every animal has a race to run. Every business, organization, and government has a race to run.  Have you ever wondered why newborn babies cry after delivery? On a literal note, they cry because they are about to begin their journey. 

Just like everyone is unique, every race is different. One of the greatest reasons why people fail in life is that they tend to run a race that is not meant for them. They fail to develop themselves instead of concentrating on their “trade secrets”. It’s important to note that you can imitate someone but you can never be like them neither can you imitate their style. Imagine you are running a race and you are on lane one, to avoid been disqualified you have to remain on track one until you finish your race. You have to own your race by maintaining your lane. It’s funny to note that most people will like to be on a particular lane with the hope they will get to the finish lane faster forgetting that every lane is different and it is the energy and skill they invest in themselves which will ultimately determine who wins the race. There’s an adage that says that it is because the philosopher was too busy to see what was ahead of him that he forgot there was a ditch in front of him and he fell into it.  

The question now becomes how do you run your race? In literal terms, running your race means, as you lay your bed, so you lie on it. Let’s share some insightful meanings on what running your race means. Running your own race means: always looking toward your goals while being aware of what’s around you. Running your own race means: not focusing too much on who’s next to you or who’s behind you. Running your own race means: beating your own best time, not anybody else’s. Running your race entails a lot of work, but first of all, you have to decide what you want to achieve. For instance, if you have a dream of becoming an attorney, a pilot or soccer player, the onus is on you to read, learn and train. If you don’t do it no one will do it for you.

Whether you’re launching a business, trying to finish school, or starting a blog, it is important for you to understand what’s needed in the industry in order for you to succeed. There will always be other people on the track, in the audience, and in the arena observing and watching you. Some will be there to cheer you up, some will be looking for faults, some will try to criticize you, while others will either mock, test or observe you to see what you are up to. In order for you to win the race, you must remain focus on the big picture. It doesn’t matter if you fail, just get up and learn from your mistakes. Always note that there will always be people ahead of or behind you. But if you spend all of your time looking at what others are doing, you’re going to trip over your own feet. Remember that you’re competing to be the best version of you, and everything else will fall into place at the appropriate time.

Most times we get caught up trying to make it big in life. You may put in so many hours at work, deprive yourself of sleep, wake up early, do research, maybe you need to invest in yourself  take a class, go to a conference/ seminar, work with a mentor, start that small business, put that website up or even learn a particular skill. All these are examples of running your race. Nobody will run it for you.  At the end of the day, you may discover you have little or nothing to show for it. My candid advice to you is don’t be hard on yourself. Just continue to build in addition to working on yourself, one day all your efforts will add up. 

In the race of life, you need to start from somewhere in order to get to where you want to be. You can start small, but you need to have the vision of your endpoint in mind. Starting small entails being consistent,  in all you are doing by building yourself and learning the necessary skills and information that is needed in the industry.

In conclusion, what race are you running and what are the race you need to run in order to succeed?

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com