Life can sometimes feel like a race, with everyone vying for the same finish line. Yet, the most fulfilling experiences come from running your race. let’s explore some principles for navigating life successfully.
Focus on Your Life
You Can’t Run Their Race, You Can Only Run Yours – Oprah Winfrey
I think about how people look down on others because they earn more money. This fear of being less than someone else is the reason many compare themselves to others. It’s a vicious cycle that can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Whatever the case, this fundamental truth remains: “You cannot run their race, you can only run yours.” Each person has a unique path in life. Focus on your own goals, progress, and capabilities rather than trying to measure yourself against others.
Find Purpose
The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others – Albert Schweitzer
Connect to a mission to make your life meaningful. It doesn’t have to be a grand mission; it can be as ordinary as serving your community. The purpose of life is to serve others.
Find a Job
The richer you are, the more choices you have.- Trevor Noah
Proverbs 10:4 (NIV)“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
Making money and keeping money go together. So, my advice is to find a way to make money and live within your means. Money is important and it gives you options. Or as Trevor Noah pointed out, “The richer you are, the more choices you have.” Primarily, value is exchanged for money. This means you must develop valuable skills or products. Formal education gives you both technical and soft skills to leverage (in the labour market) but you can also make money as an entrepreneur.
Keep Learning
“When you know better, you do better.” – Maya Angelou
Be a constant Learner. As you gain more knowledge, awareness, and understanding, you are empowered to make better decisions and take better actions. Read books. Learn something new often. Learning is important because it’s the foundation of improvement. Self-reflection is also important. Always reflect on the choices you make, so that you can make better ones in the future
Be Courageous
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost; The Road Not Taken.
This quote is often interpreted as a reflection on making unconventional or less common choices in life. It suggests that choosing a path that’s different from the norm or from what others might choose can lead to unique and significant outcomes. However, I hope that If two roads “diverged in a wood”, you’d have the courage to choose one; whether it is the one less travelled or not. “The world does open up for the courageous”, as Chimamanda Adichie rightly said. This leads to my next point about taking action.
Take Action
“Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.” – Oprah Winfrey
Regardless, of your background, you can live well. A lot of people are afraid to choose the kind of life they want because of certain expectations from family, friends, or society. Or the fear of failing. Or being wrong about everything. Regardless of feelings, you can take a step forward. I also think it’s impossible to achieve anything in life without faith or belief.
Rest
Remember to Play After Every Storm – Mattie Stepanek
“A human being could be alive for years and years, thinking and breathing and eating, full of a million worries and feelings and thoughts, taking up space in the world, and then, in an instant, become absent, invisible.” – Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth.
After facing challenges or “storms” in life, it’s important to play. Or rest. You cannot live your life always working towards the next goal. “Remember to play after every storm” is a quote I think about a lot because I know that our time on earth is brief. So, it’s important to pause; to appreciate our existence.
Nurture Relationships
There will be people in your life who mean well. Those relationships are like a garden, so take care of them. Having strong connections fosters emotional well-being.
Find Faith
1 John 2:17 (NIV): “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
I kept having faith for last. Faith provides a foundation for personal growth, emotional resilience, and spiritual understanding. For many, having faith is the ultimate. I’m a Christian and that means cultivating a life of devotion to Jesus Christ (not only because of the promise of eternal life) so that it can be well with us; that sense that someone is looking after you in a big scary world. This allows people to maintain hope even in difficult circumstances. Christianity, in particular, emphasizes trusting in God’s goodness and promises, helping individuals to find hope in times of struggle. Moreover, Christianity provides a moral framework that guides believers in living lives of integrity, kindness, and justice.
