I inhaled tight, exhaled loose as I saw January 13 on my calendar today. Tension because it’s been a slow start due to set-backs, and relief I still have two solid weeks to get some Januaryish stuff done – decluttering spaces, straightening closets and planning the spring calendar. Aren’t we just programmed to do these things in January?

So the set-backs…I love the quote from the late Donald Rumsfeld, “There are known unknowns, and there are unknown unknowns.” Family members being ill and septic systems needing attention should not cause shock, but a glass vessel bathroom sink shattering while no one was in the room, now that was a crazy unknown unknown!

A few set-backs when we want to be and feel highly productive can leave us discouraged, even paralyzed, especially if we long to get some stagnant areas of life moving, and we’re audience to those acting out life in big ways (anyone been through this?).

Bring in social media, and we can drift from seeking forward-moving inspiration from trusted sources to distracted and stagnated by the comparison beat-down that creeps in as we scroll (tip – get off there as soon as you sense this happening!). And it’s this grasping, striving, competing for the approval of others that steals our peace.

If we are competing for the approval of others, we can not become the people God created us to be.

So as we move forward seeking to honor God with our lives, whether it’s changing something up – a new business endeavor, a new way to help our family, a new town or a new ministry – or serving with excellence right where we are, let’s do these things:

• Let’s look to others for sources of INSPIRATION but never for imitation.
• Let’s run our OWN RACE in our OWN LANE (and I know there are often people in our lives pressuring us and making this hard).
• As we make progress, let’s compare ourselves to who we were yesterday. THIS MEASURES OUR RACE!
• As we make progress, let’s never compare ourselves to who someone else is today. THIS DOESN’T MEASURE OUR RACE!
• Let’s ask God to help us learn exactly what He wants us to learn through this process and keep our eyes fixed on Him.

Keep moving forward, small steps, big steps, your victories will be sweet – and it’s going to be the REAL YOU that God is blessing the world with.

Desire accomplished is sweet to the soul. Proverbs 13:19