Run Your Own Race

I spent countless hours scrolling through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, feeling that familiar knot in my stomach tighten with each post I read. Another colleague landing their dream job. A peer speaking at a prestigious conference. Someone I went to school with launched a promising startup. With each scroll, I felt myself falling further behind in a race I never signed up for.

Sound familiar?

I've come to realize that this constant game of comparison isn't just exhausting—it's impossible to win. In today's hyperconnected world, we're bombarded with everyone's highlight reels and carefully curated success stories that show the summit but never the climb.

At work, you watch others get celebrated and promoted, while you question whether you're moving fast enough, learning enough, or delivering enough. The truth hit me hard after reflecting on how I felt in various stages during my career: I was trying to win someone else's race by playing by their rules.

Think about it. When we chase others' definitions of success, we're like runners who've wandered into the wrong race. We're tennis players trying Olympic weightlifting or swimmers forcing ourselves into a long run. We're not incapable—we're just competing in the wrong event.

There's infinite knowledge out there, and someone will always know more than you do. Someone will always have more experience, more achievements, or more recognition. You've already lost if your goal is to catch up or surpass everyone else. It's like trying to drink from a fire hose—you'll end up drowning rather than quenching your thirst.

You don't have to play this game. You shouldn't.

Instead of trying to outrun everyone else, I've started focusing on creating my own track. I took a hard look at what truly energizes me, what I'm naturally good at, and what makes me lose track of time. These aren't just hobbies or passing interests—they're clues to where I can make my unique mark.

When you find that sweet spot—that intersection of your talents, passions, and opportunities—something magical happens. The noise of others' achievements starts to fade. Their success stops feeling like your failure. You begin to measure yourself not against others but against your own potential.

I'm not suggesting this is easy. Creating your own path requires courage. It means stepping away from the well-worn track that others are running on. It means facing uncertainty and possibly criticism. The discomfort of forging your own path is far less painful than the constant agony of trying to be someone you're not.

Look at any truly groundbreaking achievement in history. Did Steve Jobs succeed by trying to build a better IBM? Did Frida Kahlo become legendary by painting like everyone else? No—they succeeded by being unapologetically themselves; for sure, they were influenced by others, but they created their own games with their own rules.

So here's my challenge to you: Stop running someone else's race. Stop measuring your chapter 1 against someone else's chapter 20. Instead, ask yourself:

- What unique perspective do I bring to my field?

- What problems do I feel compelled to solve?

- What would success look like if I defined it purely on my own terms?

The world doesn't need another copy of someone else's success story. It requires your unique contribution, your authentic voice, and your original path. Yes, it's scary. It is full of uncertainty. But it's the only race worth running—the one you define for yourself.

Remember: The goal isn't to be better than everyone else. The goal is to be better than you were yesterday, running on your own track and toward your own vision of success.

When you catch yourself scrolling through LinkedIn with that familiar sense of inadequacy, instead of letting it paralyze you, use it as a reminder to refocus on your own path, your own race, and your own finish line.

Because at the end of the day, that's the only race you are allowed to win.