YOUR RACE

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What is your race? When you think of a race, it is usually connected with a contest of speed and endurance; or a class of people sharing the same characteristics, habits and interests.

For this topic, your race is the course, path or direction for your life. The course you want your life to follow.

A race is a challenge, a goal, that one trains for and sets off to do. You may be a challenge seeker or goal setter. You see something, plan for it and off you go. Or, you may be the individual who has not chosen a race, allowing life and others to plan your race.

The Planners: These are people who have planned their life from the beginning to the end. For example, they will go to college; start a career; have a family; cash in their 401K; plan retirement; travel the world; and then plan their funeral.

Another instance, they have planned to finish high school; start their own business or become an athlete or actor; forgo college or higher learner; and then become rich and famous.

There is nothing wrong with any of the courses above or other directions you have strategized. However, if your course is too rigid without any contingency plans factored in, your course may become off course quickly. If there is not a Plan B, and your Plan A does not happen, you may feel defeated and depressed, or worse.

What if you can’t finish college? What if you don’t find the right mate? What if you can’t have children? What if your business does not take off? What if you don’t become rich and famous? What if none of your plans just did not work out? What is your plan is not the incorrect plan?

Non-planners: These are the people who have no direction; or have no intention of getting a plan. They drift through life. Wherever the wind blows, they go. They literally plan one day, at a time. This may sound romantic or exciting, just living life. However, the problem with the non-planners, they are highly susceptible of allowing others to direct their lives. Because they have no ideas of their own, any proposal presented to them sounds like a good proposition. With no real plan, these individuals may get married to the wrong person; have children too soon; start a business without the proper skills; wonder for years, maybe decades without reaching any destination.

The short-term planners. Their plans are simple and short. Get out of their parent’s house; get an unskilled job; live day to day; do just enough to get by; party and have fun most of the time. These individuals may wake up, one day, and discover half their life is over and there is nothing to show for their life.

Ask yourself:

• Is your race programmed? Doing what everyone else is doing? Or, have you fallen into a routine? During the week, you work; do chores; and then sleep. For the weekends, you sleep in; do chores, have some entertainment, then sleep?  One-week melts into another, without any real difference or change?
• Do you lack the will to grow and change? People can grow but lack the mindset. While others don’t like change and refuse to grow.
• Are in your comfort zone? Because it takes too much effort to do anything else? Are you in the zone because you have a fear of failure? Or any other type of fear? Are you comfortable communicating with the same negative people, doing the same unprofitable things, all the time?
• Is your race is dictated. Your grandfather and your father were lawyers, so it is dictated to you to become a lawyer. Your father was an alcoholic and you feel that is your destiny? Your mother was unwed and had 5 children and you feel this will be you as well? Did you come from a negative family, low income status, now you think your race will be the same? Stuck in the wheel of misery and poverty?
• Has your race been arranged, due to the choices and decision you made? Having children and performing family duties plays a great role in your race. It may be now, however, what is your next race? The race you want to complete, after the children are gone, after retirement, or after a sudden life change?

Seldom will a person run one race at a time. You will perform and complete multiple races in your life. You may have back to back races.  For example, getting a degree, raising a family and working at a job are multiple races.. When one is completed, you are already in training, for the next race.

A race has a starting point, the middle and the finished line. The finished line is where you want to be. Maybe you are running a race you do not want to run. Or, you want to change your race.   Here are some basic steps to get started.  

• Find your correct race. Ask God, what direction you should be going. He knows your purpose, He will direct you in His purpose for your life.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 New King James Version (NKJV)

• Be prepared to run races back to back. Or, multiple races at once. You may grow weary; however, God will give you the strength.

 But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 New King James Version (NKJV

• Have a mindset to get to the finish line. There will be obstacles, trials and errors along the way. Muster the strength and finish what you started.

 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 New King James Version (NKJV).

Ask, train and finish. These steps are basis, but they are a beginning. The following posts will go into more detail how to choose, train and get to the ultimate purpose in life. Read on.