If you’ve ever felt like you’re behind…
If you’ve ever felt like people are ahead of you…
If you’ve ever felt like you should be further along in life than you are, this week’s email is for you.
Here’s the bottom line: You aren’t behind. You are where you are. You can’t start from anywhere else other than there.
The reason you aren’t behind is because life isn’t a race against one another. Life is a story, and yours is unique.
Like mine, it’s not a perfect story. There are mistakes, successes, failures, missed opportunities, leveraged ones, disappointments, betrayals, ups and downs. There are times when things worked out perfectly. There are times when they didn’t.
It’s all part of your unique story, not anyone else’s.
It’s why comparing your storyline to another isn’t helpful. In fact, it’s paralyzing. You get stuck.
Yes, asking the question, “How did I get here?” is helpful.
But, a better question to ask right after that one is, “Where do I go from here?”
What’s the best, next step?
Often, the best next step is a small one. Sometimes, it’s so small we often discount it.
But here’s why small action steps are important: Over time, small steps add up.
The small step of getting up five minutes earlier.
The small step of getting some sort of exercise in each day.
The small step of praying 30 seconds longer.
The small step of calling one more client before the end of the day.
The small step of encouraging one person each day.
The not-so-small step of replacing the thought that you’re behind with a step of action — they add up.
There’s a not-so-small moment I recall in my new book, “What to do Next” when I was speaking at a conference with John Maxwell. I was in the audience listening to John during a pivotal moment in this new season. It was just a few weeks after Wendy and I had left Gwinnett Church. We weren’t quite sure what we were doing but we knew it was what we needed to do. “Are we crazy?” I often thought. “I’m starting all over at 55. I’m way behind now.”
That’s the problem with starting over. You feel behind because it’s as if you left your place in line only to go to the very back of the line.
That’s why I will be forever grateful for these words John shared at that conference. “I never had a clear vision,” he said. “I just kept moving forward.”
Keep. Moving. Forward.
When I feel like I’m behind, that others are ahead of me, and that I’ve lost my place in line, I have to remind myself of this — there is no line. I’m writing my own story. With God’s help, I can keep moving forward. One small step at a time.
When you approach your current situation like this, you discover how your experiences in life have shaped you, good and bad, for this moment. And in that moment, as you remember no one has your unique storyline of a life, you realize a powerful truth: You’re further along than you think.
FOR You,
Jeff Henderson
PS. Speaking of Next steps, have you read What to do Next yet? It’s also on Audible.
