On your mark, get set, go! I’ve heard this phrase or some version of it more times than I can even begin to count as I’ve been engaged in competitive environments my whole life. As a young competitive swimmer, I heard “Swimmers, take your mark, beep!” As a runner, I heard, “Runners, take your mark, boom!” As a basketball player, the referee would throw the ball into the air to begin the game, as if he was shouting, “Players, take your mark, go!” Competition is the essence of sports. It’s what makes watching and participating in sports so riveting and addicting.
As a mom of four fabulous and quite often very energetic boys, I’ve spoken this phrase countless times in my household as my boys daily compete either against the clock or to be the first one to eat breakfast, to set the table, to brush teeth, to hop in the car in the morning, to get in the tub, to get on jammies, to go up the stairs, to get into bed, or the first one to, you name it, we’ve done it. I don’t recall pushing this competitive nature upon them. It just happened naturally and they were the ones telling me, “Mom! Say, your marks!”
It made me wonder if there is some level of competitive spirit in each of us, some, of course, more than others. Competition can be healthy and helpful as it can drive us to reach and be our best. For some of us, as we grow up and become adults entering the “real” world, our competitive races of being the first one up the stairs or the state champion runner turn into aspirations of being successful, powerful, rich, admired. Although there are certainly worldly perks that come from this kind of attainment, if we’re not careful, thoughtful and intentional about the races we run and how we run them, we’ll find ourselves 90 years old looking back on our lives and realizing we have nothing meaningful and impactful to show for it.
Competition, although fun and exciting for the spectator, can sometimes be detrimental to the competitor as the intense pressures to perform, the fear of failing, or blurry goals and intentions can paralyze them from moving forward and having any impact. I was a victim to this competitive cycle at one point in my life, this assumption that I needed to have a higher degree of education or a more prestigious career to be worthy of success or to have lasting impact. You see, I had a flawed view of success and a blurry vision as to my purpose that led me to a lonely, sad place as a stay-at-home mom. Don’t get me wrong, I cherish the gift of being home with my kiddos and love them dearly. However, I realized I was not being intentional with my life as a mom and wife and was not using my God-given abilities to have lasting impact. How sad to even consider wasting the gifts God has given us specifically for the purpose of helping Him build His kingdom and having positive impact on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I was not about to let fear, or uncertainty or insecurities stand in my way any longer.
Thankfully, I saw the light, not only because of a lot of prayer and studying the Word, but because of the wisdom and insight shared to me by my cousin, Jim Akers. Jim is the author of a new book, Tape Breakers, which opens your eyes to how important you are to the people in your life and how you have the capability to live out your passions and gifts with lasting impact and influence. Remarkably, what I discovered was that I was standing in my own way from achieving “success” and having impact. My greatest competitor was me. I will never forget one of Jim’s quotes, “God places our dreams on our hearts for a reason, but it’s up to us to take action.” Yikes! What a wake-up call that was!
I have been competitive my whole life, striving to do the best I could at everything I attempted. However, I was not only running the wrong race, but I was being defeated by my own fears, insecurities, skewed assumptions and misguided direction. In Jim’s new book, he describes life as a race, one we may not always get to choose, but always have the power to choose how we run it. So when you realize that you are your greatest competitor, allow it to motivate you—not paralyze you—to have powerful impact and remember this:
“The race of life is all about impact. Picking, running and breaking the tape in races that positively change lives. You have been created to fulfill a great purpose. No one has your unique place in history to positively impact the people you love, the teams you lead and the causes that stir your heart. No one! Becoming you is born, nurtured and completed in the pursuit of pouring your heart and soul into creating positive impact every day in the lives of people who need your love and care.” ~Jim Akers
In his book, Jim encourages us to ponder questions like, how do we want to be remembered? What do we want to be remembered for? Who do we want to be remembered by? As many of you know, I have chosen a new path filled with passion and direction that is aligned with the gifts and abilities God has uniquely given me. I want to run my race with intense purpose and intention towards the things that matter. I want to affect change, to have impact, to inspire. When I enter the gates of heaven, and stand face to face with my Father and Creator, I want to be able to say with confidence that I tried my best to use what He gave me and that I ran with perseverance the race marked out for me (Hebrews 12:1)… that I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).
What race are you running? Why? When your life on earth is over, who do you want to be remembered by? For what do you want to be remembered?
Breathe peace, my friends.
Tape Breakers becomes available on Amazon, Tuesday, March 1! You won’t want to miss out on this great, life-changing read! This book would be an excellent gift for the people in your life! Join me in being a Tape Breaker!
