Hi, welcome to the last Tuesday in May 2023!🥁💃 We’ve been through 30 days together, and we’re on our way to the 31st. I believe it’s been a good month for you just as it was for me. As we proceed in the year, we go into the coming month with great expectations that will not be cut short🙏.
There is no better time to appreciate everyone that reached out via comments on the last post. Your feedback and engagements were so encouraging. I’d also like to say a big thank you for celebrating my birthday with me two days ago. It feels good knowing that I have great people around, thank you for being here.
I won’t start the post without addressing the change of government we just witnessed yesterday in Nigeria. It’s a new dispensation, and if we will be honest, we have our concerns about the change. But amidst all, let’s keep hope alive that we are not an abandoned nation. We will see the good of this land, no matter how things seem currently. It’s going to get better!
Today, I’d like to draw your attention to something really important. Often, a lot of people are steady overthinkers, but I believe I speak for a larger percentage when I say that once you assume a new age or a new year, your thoughts go in the pro-max direction. This realization is what has birthed the topic; Your Race and Your Pace.
There’s this school of thought I got to know about sometime last year, and it states that “the age you clocked on your birthday celebration is the year you just rounded up, not the one you are entering into”.
For instance, a child that clocks one (1) today has just rounded up his first year of life and is starting the second year. I don’t know if you’ve always known about this or if you agree with the standpoint. Kindly let me know what you think when you send in your comments.
As much as we are excited when our birthday is on the way, there is also this tug at our mind that we are older now than we were the previous year. A new age is setting in, and new responsibilities are likely getting on your shoulders. Expectations are hanging down over you, the larger portion being perceived as that from the outside world.
Taking stock of your previous years and the just concluded one particularly puts you in a state of unrest. That is the moment many of us remember our mistakes and failures, and we point out to people who have achieved so much at that age we are attaining while giving ourselves little or no credit for the groundbreaking moments we had.
Getting into a new age is similar to the start of a new year, it actually is! When 2023 was about to begin, many of us had our reflection moments. We took out time to think about how the year went, where we stood at the time, where we were headed, and the like. We had our list of plans to be ticked, and the like. That’s exactly something we often do when a new age is about to set in.
It is really good to take stock, see your shortcomings, and be positively challenged to get back on track, especially if you’ve been slacking. However, as that self-audit goes on, many easily lose sight of the purpose for which they’re taking stock, and they get lost in the world of worry, low self-esteem, and giving in to the voice of pressure from the outside world.
That is the moment the voice of people rings so loud in your mind, and you remember their different opinions of you being too young or too old for a good course you’re hoping to chart for yourself. It’s the time you are torn between starting something new, keeping up with the old, or just abandoning it altogether.
Well, here’s something you have to put in mind at all times. You are in a race, and you were placed on the track by your Father up there. When He did, He gave you all that was needed for you to make it to the finish line. Again, you were placed on the track ALL BY YOURSELF, but He yet runs with you. I once wrote a post titled “Meet your Perfect Coach!”, you can access it via https://themirrorandreflections.com/meet-your-perfect-coach/
This is what I want to remind you of; you are not in competition with anyone. You are not trying to beat or be like someone else in this race. You are not trying to measure up to someone else’s standards. Your real competition is you and the better version of yourself.
May I put it another way? You are competing with yourself, beating a negative mindset, and digging into the wells of treasures to bring out a better version of yourself. There is always a higher level to attain, and that is where you are headed.
There is always more to be done, but even when you reach that stage where you are at the top of the ladder, your goal for pressing on is not so that no one climbs up to the height you are or beats your record. Your goal is to be better at what you do and give your Father in Heaven “Proud Dad” moments.
Any other applause or recognition you get is an extension of what God intended. It is His will that we shine our lights. And in so doing, He is glorified. Therefore, if your perception is to please man, I sincerely hope that you are not missing the point.
A question just popped up, and it goes thus: How do you reconcile people’s different views about your journey when one person thinks you are late to the party and another thinks you are an early comer?
First, I believe that these different opinions should be a sign that you should only stick to the pace set by the Father. Why give yourself a headache trying to fit into different rules when you can run at a pace that aligns with your journey? Again, don’t give in to pressure. It’s your race, and it doesn’t have to be a burden. You can enjoy it.
In your reflection moments, have you found a cause for gratitude yet? I think this is the point you bring out your journal and pen because you have a lot to put down. There is so much to be grateful for, it just takes opening your eyes, mind, and heart to see it.
Be grateful for everything; the achievements, the wins, the failures, the disappointments, your joyful moments, and the times of pain. “How can I be grateful for my down moments?”, you might ask. Well, those down moments did not drown you!
Rather, those moments opened you up to a way of escape, and a winner’s mindset. Those moments got you seeking solutions that you found, so why won’t you be grateful? The fact that you are not still seated with those mistakes means you have made progress. Cheers to your growth, you winner!
As I round this up, I ask that you be your biggest cheerleader. Don’t always be quick to keep records of your wrongs and failures. Track your rights and wins with an even greater level of energy. Own your achievements, and remember to acknowledge He who made it pissitin the first place. He owns both you and your wins.
It’s time for this pen to go up, and I’m so happy to be raising it in your presence😁. I give you an award for being the most patient reader of all time! I’ll equally wait to read your comments as well. See you in June 2023!!!
