Life – Is it a Journey or is it a Competition?
Do you find yourself competing against others – whether “they” be real or imaginary? Or, do you take life as it comes? I am now at the point in my life where I truly believe that life is a journey, not a competition.
In one of my previous posts, I wrote about success and how it’s different for each person. It could also apply to how we view life. So, this leads me to wonder, does a natural competitor ever stop and smell the roses? Or is the preference to make sure that you counted more rose bushes than anyone else? I’m not saying that one is better than the other for everyone. It’s all part of what makes us who we are. 🙂
What The Heck Brought On This Thought Train?
So, you might be wondering where all this thinking came from. Well, it’s a number of things. But, as I think about it, it actually dawned on me that I have even changed the type of music I listen to when I go do a workout or take a walk. I used to listen to some kind of rock music. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the kind of music that gets you all pumped up and in the mood for a good competition. Now, my preference is for more new age style music that helps me to relax my mind and just enjoy every moment in life as it comes. The kind of music that my former coworkers would have called “woo woo” music. BTW, that made me smile just thinking about it, but I digress.
Then vs Now
I was just reflecting on the fact that oftentimes people come at life from different perspectives and that your perspective can change as you age. Do you look at things the same now as when you were 30 years younger? When I was younger, I was definitely more competitive. Sometimes I felt the need to compete against others – whether they knew it or not. I wanted to be better, ya know? There were also plenty of instances when I competed against myself, wanting to always be the best. Then, in aging through life as I have, I sometimes would find myself competing against my younger self. “Why is it that I can’t do this or that anymore?” If you have come to a certain age in life, do you now find yourself competing against your younger self, too? If so, then how does that make you feel? And, why are you doing it in the first place? There’s the phrase about “comparing apples and oranges” and I need to remember that Sue at 24 years old is not the same as Sue at 54 years old.
So, in comparing myself as I am now against my younger self, I’m comparing the proverbial apples and oranges, right? Sure, there are aspects about me that are better now than they were when I was in my 20s. And, there are parts of me that are not as good as they were then – just ask my left knee about that. But, every step I take is a step on my journey in life. And, in my case, I now feel that competing through every step keeps me from enjoying every moment as much as I possibly can.
So, here I am…
I’m consciously relaxing more, doing things and making choices that suit me in this moment. I’m letting life come as it does, and I’m enjoying and appreciating every day that I have been granted the opportunity to be here. So maybe I can’t do what I used to do. So what? It is what it is. Everything happens for a reason and we don’t always know the “what” or the “why” but there’s a reason for all of it.
I’m here and that’s what matters. *hugs*
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