Pace is something that is ingrained in us from a really young age. You’re either above, on, or behind pace for reading levels. Or you’re above, on, or behind pace on physical growth. We were constantly compared to other children as we grew up.

I personally felt like I was constantly running; and running quite fast at that. For years, I felt like I was in a rat race and I never really had time to think.

Now that I’ve been in college for two years, I’ve realized something that I wish I had known from the start. It’s not a race. Most importantly, there’s no such thing as “pace.” The fact of the matter is that there will always be people “ahead” and there will always be people that you’re ahead of. But what really matters is where YOU are in YOUR life and what growth YOU have personally had.

That is literally the only thing that matters.

I definitely struggle with competing with myself, but I also have this tendency to constantly compare myself to others. I look at my peers and try to figure out where I stand in terms of my “pace” and I look at those older than me and measure my pace against theirs. (Will I be where she is when I’m her age?) It’s downright exhausting. And just a wrong way to consider everything.

It’s interesting to see where a bunch of my friends from high school have ended up. It’s easy to try to place everyone on a straight line in order of pace. So-and-so is above her and he is above what’s-her-name… but that’s not the case. Everyone is actually doing their own thing and marching to the beat of their own drum and setting their own pace.

The next time you find yourself comparing your success to others’, remind yourself to put on the blinders and focus on YOU.