This is for all the times I let my ego take over.

This is for all the times I tried to compare myself to someone else.

This is for all the times I didn’t see myself in all it’s glory.

I admit the feeling of egoism took over me when I saw her pass me up on the hiking trail. I was running at a leisurely pace because I wanted to save up my energy for the finish line. I wanted to go hard in the end.

I continued on my course.

When I came down from the mountain, I saw her running on the street. She was heading the same way I was. I decided I would floor it. I started running like I was the wind. I was running for her, myself and everyone else that ever wanted to win the race, and that could be literally or figuratively.

Even though I finally passed her up, I realized that I wasn’t running against her. Even though I passed her up, I didn’t win. I was running against myself. Against all the times, I felt like I couldn’t do something, all the times I had failed, and all the times I had been hurt.

I was running the race of life. I realized that in the wanting to do more, you end up doing less. I realized that in the wanting to be better, you feel worse. I realized that you just have to be. Whatever it is that you are, just be that.

You are your own race and as long as you are you, you’ll always win.

Even if the win doesn’t look like how you think it should, you’ll never lose. This race, called life, isn’t a measure of how quickly you make it to the finish line; it’s a measure of how you behave, how well you can live in the moment, and how much you loved while heading towards the finish line. It’s a measure of how many times you turned your weaknesses into strengths. It’s a measure of how many times you turned sadness into joy.

Finally, it’s a measure of how many times you turned defeats into triumphs. It’s a measure of all your capabilities, used to its full potential, at any given moment.

It’s a measure of you.

Relephant: 

10 Ways to Recognize our Enormous Ego.

Author: Jennifer Bonetto 

Editor: Renee Picard 

Image: Pixoto