Competition Everywhere!!!

It's a Saturday morning and I am currently in Virginia awaiting to instruct a HUGE paint party later on this beautiful day! I'm not sure why I'm up so early? Oh yea my son actually woke me up out of my sleep for some good ole juice. (The joys of Motherhood) I haven't had my coffee either by the way so let's see how many grammar corrections you all can count! Anyway the topic of this blog today is Competition, yes competition *sigh*. We can act as if we don't see it or notice that it's going on, but there seems to be a whole epidemic going on with my fellow colleagues around me and with ones I don't know.

During the times we are in now there is a need to one up everyone around us. It almost feels like more and more people are awakening to a sense of who they "really" are and investing in what their beliefs are per say. This morning I became curious as I scrolled through my Facebook and Instagram, and I wondered how many people actually feel as if they have to compete not only with strangers, but people that they know and are close to. Thanks to social media I feel sometimes my generation can be materialistic because of what we are always seeing from others.

“For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:3‬ ‭NKJV‬

Have you ever been so hungry that you ate yourself to the point of being miserable? That's how your eyes can deceive you, they were bigger than your belly. Same thing happens with social media, your eyes sometimes are way bigger than your brain can handle. It almost can make you feel like you can do what someone else is doing. Once you start trying to be something your not, you end up miserable. Before you go down that rabbit hole really seek God in deep mediation to see what's for you and what's not for you.

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We should not be competing with our friends and family  to see who graduated college first, who gets married first, who has kids first, or who has the biggest house, etc. Real friends take the time to see if they can help you in any way possible with the race that your running. They may not be able to run beside you all the time, but you know they got your back. As the scripture states above, iron sharpens iron.

At the end of the day we all need a little bit of Competiton around us to inspire us to go "harder" for our goals and dreams. There is also a time to compete and then there's a time to be genuinely happy for our peers and not try to do what they're doing if it's not our lane. When I spend time with God he exposes when I am trying to compete in an unhealthy manor. He also exposes if me wanting to compete is actually a form of jealousy or not. I thank God that he exposes the good, bad, and ugly in me for me to try to correct.

There are three things that I remind myself of every time I step outside of what my goals are.

1. Focus - I can't allow myself to look at what's on my left or right for too long. I have to keep my eyes on my prize.
2. Get rid of distractions - I take breaks from social media every now and then to regroup and detoxify my mind
3. Godfidence - A couple of affirmations in the morning that I read to myself out loud after prayer
and devotion helps tremendously! I have to know who I am in God so I won't feel like I'm less than or beneath someone. God created only one me and my journey is to find what his purpose is for me on earth.

Please take the time to focus on yourself today......Happy Saturday! Check out the bonus clip below of Zig Ziglar speaking about Evaluating where you are...Enjoy!