You are never gonna measure up! I know that sounds a little harsh. But hey, sometimes the truth hurts. Might as well accept it here and now. There is a catch - you have an opportunity to measure up. It is actually pretty simple. You need to stop using everyone else’s measuring stick and find your own! Let me say that again - quit using the same measuring stick like everyone else.
‘Cause I am gonna let you in on a secret. When you were created, you came with your very own measuring stick. A measuring stick that only you can use. Where do you find your own stick? You are gonna need to look high and low to find it. The fastest way to get back on course is to stop looking left and right and push forward. It will not be easy. It may not even be straight. But it will be worth it.
For some people, I included, the fog that is in front of us is so thick you can’t see what you need to see. You need to chill, reset, check and adjust your compass.
In the process of floating through life, checking off to-do lists and such, we have lost the purpose of living. We are constantly rushing from one moment to the next. Not even enjoying the moment in front of us (thick fog). We think the more things we accomplish the better we are. It makes us more important, I suppose. Sadly we are missing the most important events in our lives. Moments that we will never get back. The nights sitting under the stars just chatting it up. Running from one sunset to the next not even seeing the beauty each night - endless jars of lightning bugs, evenings where we just sit, and do nothing else but be together. Those are the marks on your measuring stick you need to account for. Most often those are the times no one else knows about. Those are the special moments you keep close to your heart.
The moment you quit treating your life like it is a destination, instead of the journey it was meant to be, you can find peace. Instead, we just compare our journey to everyone else's. Which leaves us feeling empty, lost, and totally off the radar.
The exciting news is, you were never meant to measure up to anyone else’s standards of what your life should look like. The harder you try to measure up to what other people think your life should be or look like, the further out you go. It is like being on your own voyage.
If you are out here trying to please your parents, never gonna happen. If you are trying to please your spouse, even if you have the same ideas or goals, there is the opportunity for leaks. Are you trying to make your kids happy, now that’s a joke? How about that boss or co-worker of yours? Are they demanding you to give more? There will always be weak links. In the scheme of life, people make us feel that nothing is ever enough. What about your friends? Can you show up in a ragged mess and still be loved? Are you brave enough to hang your dirty laundry out on the line in front of them? Or does the fear of being compared to the others have you sinking down? Stop making yourself small in order to make others feel better about themselves. Friend, you are only responsible for your ship.
Voyages are different for everyone. Sometimes we are supposed to get dragged into a storm in order to learn to dance in the rain. Sometimes we drift further out in the middle of the sea in order to learn how to set anchors properly. Sometimes we never leave the dock because we have such little faith in the things we can not see. Sometimes we get caught up in the wind because we need to learn to lean on and trust the people on our ship. Sometimes we drift close to the shore because we are afraid we will lose the light in the Lighthouse. Heaven forbid we stay in the dark.
My point is we all struggle with our own insecurities. Therefore the measuring stick for you and I will be different. As long as you continue to focus your attention on being like the person beside you, that you admire, or “follow” you will become the Titanic. You might fake what you have in your heart and mind for a bit, but trust me the real you will come out and there will be no lifeboats around.
As long as you continue to spend all your money on materialistic crap to fit in, you are always gonna be broke. As long as you lie to yourself about who you are, you will always be lost. As you long as you continue to follow others, you will never lead. This world needs a whole lot more leaders and fewer followers. If you never learn how to read your compass, you will always stay lost, and you can never captain your ship. Your ship of life, joy, and happiness.
Friend, your captain’s hat is up for the taking. It belongs on your head. Added bonus, your hat will only fit on your head! Be brave enough to step up, grab what is yours, and steer forward.
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