Run Your Race

It’s graduation season, which always makes me feel a little nostalgic and a little reflective. All across the country, kids in caps and gowns are tossing their hats in the air, taking selfies with their families, and asking the question we all asked once: What now?

If I could offer one piece of advice to this year’s graduates, whether high school, college, or even just someone stepping into a new season of life, it would be this:

Run your own race.

That might sound like a cliché. But the longer I live, the more I realize how true and how difficult that really is.

I’ve spent a lot of time looking left and right. Worrying about how fast other people are going. Wondering if I’m falling behind or doing it wrong. Comparing my pace, my lane, my life, to theirs. And I can tell you with full honesty: that time is always wasted. Always.

Alexa and I have had a handful of conversations this past year that have absolutely rocked me. Not dramatic arguments. Just those slow-burning, soul-deep talks where we’re honest about how much of our energy gets swallowed by comparison. About how easy it is to feel like we’re supposed to be further along. Like someone else figured it out faster. Or like if we just hustled harder, we’d be in a different spot by now.

Here’s the thing: community is powerful. We were never meant to do life alone. But if you’re not careful, community turns into comparison. You start measuring your life against someone else’s highlight reel. Their timeline becomes your benchmark. And pretty soon, the joy of your own journey starts to fade.

Teddy Roosevelt wasn’t wrong. Comparison is the thief of joy. But it’s sneakier than people give it credit for. It doesn’t always show up as jealousy or bitterness. Sometimes it looks like self-doubt. Like striving. Like shame disguised as motivation.

The truth is, your race isn’t meant to look like anyone else’s. Some people sprint. Some people walk. Some people take weird detours that end up becoming the most beautiful parts of their story. And none of that invalidates your pace.

So to the grads (and honestly, to myself): Don’t waste energy running someone else’s race. Show up for yours.

Cheer others on. Be inspired. Learn from people ahead of you. But don’t let it distract you from where you are, who you are, and where you’re going.

You’ve got a good race ahead of you. Keep your eyes forward.