A sneak peek over the fence
There are two areas that I can talk about when I think of taking a sneak peek over the fence. The first is about competing with others and the second thought is about peeking over the fence at what we could do or have, yet not take any steps to head there.
Everyone knows that it is always easier to just observe rather than to do. In fact we can get so caught up in observing what others are doing with their lives that we forget about ours. If we are not careful we can get caught in the trap of competing or comparing ourselves to ‘that someone’ who seems to be doing everything that we could only ever dream of doing. On one hand it can be a motivator providing one with inspiration to get up and start heading in the direction of your dreams. Then on the other hand there is the danger that we focus too much on what ‘that someone’ is achieving that we can become intimidated and start believing that what we are doing is insignificant and simply not that interesting.
Ah humans we always want what we do not have!
The world is a very large place and yes it can get very competitive if we want to start sprinting against other people. The trouble is that when we get into that mindset it is easy to lose focus on what it is we are good at. No two people are the same just as no two snowflakes are, yet we struggle with the idea of being our own person and developing the skills we have been given.
There have been times when I have been ‘peaking over the fence’ at other people’s achievements and felt completely unsatisfied with my life. The glamour and glitz has a way of drawing attention! In the mundane everyday moment of life there is not all that much to brag about. It requires a lot of hard work to get somewhere. When we observe the glamour and glitz in people’s lives we see their outcome or the result yet do not know how many hours, months or years it took for them to be whom they are today.
There are seasons in life that require us to be patient and do the hard work. It is in the ground that a plant starts to grow roots and I would imagine that in the ground there is not much of an audience. It is dark and isolating. Without roots all our best efforts will fail. We need something to stand on whether that be years of study, experience or just the everyday mundane routine.
What about when we are taking a sneak peek at the life we could have yet are afraid to take steps to get there?
As I mentioned earlier it is easy to observe other people’s achievements.
What about the areas you are good at?
It is always safer to watch others and not take any steps forward as this means less chance of failing. From my personal experience I can confidently say it is not satisfying to live that way. When we bury our gifts and talents it is like burying ourselves. Even IF no one notices what you do you will be more satisfied doing what you do best than just existing.
We don’t really know what our end result will be until we get there so that should not be the main focus. It is great to dream and believe for bigger and better yet it is the everyday that really matters in life. The everyday is what makes us who we are and it helps us to stay grounded.
The majority of my life so far has been galaxies away from glamour and glitz. Does that mean my life has been unsuccessful? I don’t think so. Every experience that I have lived through up to today has given me something to stand on and something to share about.
Each small step that I have taken has led me to something more. It has opened me up to the possibilities that are available as I just keep going, one day at a time.
Had I not started the psychology course three and something years ago I would not be blogging today. Had I not started blogging I would not be practising writing. While I know my writing is far from the skilled abilities of other writers I continue on, as I know that it will give me the foundation for the books that are yet to be written. You see I don’t have a desire to be a famous writer; I have a desire to help people. What I write about is written to touch hearts and lives with messages of hope and inspiration! I have a desire to connect with people so that they can pick themselves up from a dark place and keep going.
Most people don’t have a cheer squad that runs alongside them, so I want to be that cheer squad, the person that says, “You can do it”.
In reality we often struggle to do and be what we are good at so there really is no point in competing with others to try and be them.
If peeking over the fence brings you inspiration that’s great just don’t stay too long peeking and don’t wait decades before you decide to jump that fence to live out your purpose.
Don’t waste precious time wishing to be someone else,
be who you as no one else can be you.
♥
The Change that changes you 