Life: A Journey, Not A Race

Hello wonderful people! This is Kim Elliott with my second blog and I am excited to once again be transparent with you. Life: A Journey, Not A Race is my blog's title but also something that I've been battling with recently. In this blog, I will talk about where this title not only came from but how my perspective has changed over time!

In the previous blog where I introduced myself to you, I discussed some of the experiences and obstacles I had to overcome at a young age. One of those obstacles included comparing myself to other people. Whether that was according to physical appearance, intelligence, wealth etc. I've always measured my life based off of another person. And I know in your mind, you're probably thinking "You should never do that Kim. That's only a recipe for failure and depression." and you are right lol! But at that time, I wasn't really confident or comfortable within myself and this is where the comparisons developed.

I recently graduated from college and now I'm trying to figure out what's my next step! I've been aiming to be a pediatrician since I was 5 years old and that's still my aspiration. However, I simply felt as if my GPA wasn't high enough to get accepted into medical school. Once again, I've been measuring my success according to what society says is excellent and of great quality. To other people my GPA which is a 3.5 is amazing especially considering that I was a science major (biology major with a minor in chemistry). But to me it wasn't good enough because I knew that I had so much more potential inside of me. I knew that I should've applied myself more and dedicated more time to learning the material instead of just knowing it decently enough to pass an exam. Yes, I've made my mistakes while in undergrad and I even had to retake 3 classes (1 class and 2 labs) because I received a D+ in them. As I reflect back over my undergraduate experience, I really don't have any regrets except for allowing procrastination and laziness to take a toll over my education. But the past is the past and I can't change anything that has already happened. All I can do is learn from my mistakes, proceed to move forward and trust that God will allow all of the mistakes and shortcomings to lead me to where I desire to be.

Lately, I've noticed that I have been comparing myself to some of my friends. No, I'm not jealous and I definitely pray that they have a successful journey while in graduate school but I've been feeling as if they were getting ahead and I was behind. But God reassured me that they were not ahead of me because we are all on HIS timing. When God wants me to take the next step, He will prompt me to take it. Just because it seems like someone is "making moves" within their lives and you're not currently, that does not mean that He isn't working in the background for your benefit. A thought that constantly replayed in my mind was "My friends are going to grad school and here I am working at Walmart". But this is where being content comes into play. Content according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary means to be pleased and satisfied. By me not being content with where I am in life, I unknowingly measure who I am by who other people are and where they are. Sometimes we have to be where we don't want to be, to get to where we desire to be. Though I may be a cashier at Walmart, God has a purpose for me even in that "simple" job. He spoke to me one day while I was at work! I was in a bad mood because I didn't want to do a certain job that I was given but He said "All that you do, do it to my glory." and that's when my perspective changed. What I thought was so small and simple was actually great and purposeful in His eyesight. Something to remember: not everyone starts at the top! Some people have to crawl, walk, hop, skip etc. to reach the top but the process, though it may be frustrating, makes the accomplishment so rewarding! Also, it's important to remember that you never know what all it may have took for someone to be where they are. Some people have endured so much in their past and that's why they now have their blessings.

I said all of this to say that it's okay to not be where you want to be right now. Sometimes in order to be elevated, we must find the treasures in where we are currently. God won't take you to the next level, if you don't appreciate why you're currently where you are. Life is a journey so breathe, take your time/go at your own pace, and stay focused on YOUR lane. When you are focused on your own lane, you don't have the time to focus on how fast the next car is moving. Sometimes when we become focused on what the next person is doing, we miss opportunities to advance ourselves. "Don't let your food get cold, worrying about what's on another person's plate". With that being said, I stopped comparing myself to my friends and turned to God for validation. If you find yourself comparing yourself to other people like myself, remember that God has created your story perfectly! He was not focused on another person when he developed the life for you. The life and future that you have is what He thought was perfect for you and you ALONE and He will equip you to walk into your destiny. What He has for you will ALWAYS be for you and nobody not even Satan can stop His plan in your life. Turn off the television, disconnect yourself from the social media and connect with your Heavenly Father. Know yourself, know your worth and know that you will do all things through Christ who strengthens you. God bless!