It’s so easy to compare ourselves to other people. It’s so easy to let our minds wander to how successful other people are, how much farther ahead of us they are, and how fun and adventurous their lives are compared to ours. It’s also easy to grow frustrated and weary when we think that we’re too far behind, that it’s too late to try, or that we’ll never live the life we want.
You Are Distinctly You
But the good news is that you are distinctly you. The sooner you can see that as an asset, the better off you’ll be. No one brings quite the same blend of experience and perspective that you bring to the table. No one has the same unique mix of strengths as you.
Own the Responsibility and Decision-Making Power
Because of this, no one can dictate what your pace should be or where you should be at in life at this point. It’s all really up to you, and the more you can own that responsibility and decision-making power, the more you can master the art of being yourself and sharing your gifts with the world.
It’s An Inner Journey, Highly Personal to You
Finding your own way in life is an inner journey, which makes it highly personal to you. The more you can learn to truly listen to yourself, the more clarity you’ll find. My hope here at Create the Map is to share some stories of other people with you who will inspire you and make you think, but you should not look to these stories to compare yourself or measure yourself against the people profiled here. Look to these stories for encouragement onward and take whatever grain of wisdom or insight you can. Use these insights however they can best help you. My conversation with Nina Yau is a great example of this. Although you likely won’t follow her path or do exactly what she’s done, she has great perspective on overcoming comparing ourselves to others.
“Slow Down, You Move Too Fast”
Today I’ll leave you with a few lines from a song that always help remind me to slow down.
Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy.
“59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” by Simon & Garfunkel
About the Photo above: I took this picture this past weekend at the Ned Brown Forest Preserve in Elk Grove, Illinois.
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