I was at an event recently and we got to talking about people from Nashville who have become big time celebrities. Jelly Roll was brought up and we discussed his unlikely path to stardom because if you don’t know his story, it is pretty fascinating. Then the conversation turned to Nate Bargatze who has become a massive star in the comedy world. I had mentioned that he had a long path as well to get where he is now and it didn’t happen overnight.
The common denominator in both of their successes is that they never quit griding and fighting for their respective dreams. With them, there is no ‘overnight’ sensation that so many people want to pin on others. They worked years and years and years to get where they are and even if you are not fans, you certainly have to respect their work ethic and chasing that dream.
Then this lead to a conversation about life and highs and lows and the tone in this talk seemed down because of the success of the two men I mentioned above, which at the time seemed odd but soon discovered, not so much. We all said goodbye and later that night, I got to thinking about what we had been talking about it and hit me. Everyone’s journey is their journey. It is your journey, no one else’s. I came across this not long after in my devotional and it hit home.
“Perfection isn’t in the eye of the beholder; perfection is in the eye of the creator. God had designed you perfectly for the purpose he had for you. Even your flaws and imperfections serve a purpose in God’s hands. And this is why killing comparison requires learning to see our deficiencies as intentional gifts from God.”
I had been guilty of comparing my journey to others who had that success and it was about to drive me crazy as well. Then I realized that God gave us all these unique talents and gifts and if we use them, we can live a great and fruitful life. I recall speaking to a friend who was an EMT and I said there is no way I could ever do that job and he said, I love it, it was my calling and once I found it, I never looked back.
Love it! It is your journey, no one else’s. As we embark on a new year, take a moment to realize that your journey is powerful and wonderful once you put your mind and soul into it. Maybe you are not supposed to be a big time rock star, or a big time comedian. But, maybe you are. You will discover that and you know why? It is your journey and no one else’s.
I spent many a night laying in bed asking God why I couldn’t do this or why did he or she get this and I didn’t. A lot of sleepless nights pondering this insanity. It ended up leading me to write my first book called CREATE THE CHAOS about finding your way and creating wonderful chaos to get that dream job or whatever you wanted to do.
Then, one night, I found this testimonial and I love to share it. I wish I knew who the author was to think him or her. Here it is: “No man or woman is a threat to the purpose God has places within you. You don’t have to measure yourself against someone else because there is no comparison. Their purpose, like yours, is unique. God doesn’t create duplicates or extras, so stand firm in who you are and reject the lie that you are not good enough.”
Read that again and just smile while doing it. As you will realize, you are wonderfully and fearfully made. And, it is your journey, no one else’s and our world is a better place because of it and you.
