Yesterday Chief Kristen Ziman spoke at the graduation ceremony for the new Aurora recruits along with other recruits from all over the state. Her message was both vulnerable and witty, and I took away something that I, myself, struggle with. I guess it was nice to know that a woman of her status and power struggles with this as well. She said that early in her career as an LEO she had to stop competing with others and start competing with herself.
This morning in my read of Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyers said this: “...there is no such thing as real peace until we are delivered from the need to compete with others.”
Although these messages have similar meaning, one promotes competition, just with oneself. The other just lets it go.
During my first career, I competed with others to become the best at what I did. I was envious, jealous, bitter, and ruthless at times. I competed with myself to become better at what I did. I was never satisfied. Then one day as I watched my life go up in flames I finally just gave it all up and started serving others because that’s what God had been wanting me to do. In His industry. Not mine. Doing what He wanted me to do. Not me. I work in a capacity that is humbling for a zillion reasons. None of my fancy education matters. None of my professional development attendance, conference-going, speech-giving, data collecting, resource collecting, blogging, and spouting-off matters. Now I do my fair share of competing with myself, but with God’s blessing only. And I am happy.
Comparing oneself to anybody else can lead to dissatisfaction within. Be content with who you are. Learn. Grow. Make your mistakes. Pick yourself back up. Stick close to God through it all. Don’t stay in a state of constant competition where you completely give up yourself to enhance yourself. It’s unhealthy. It makes you sad. And once you achieve your goal, the satisfaction is temporary before you’re off being miserable and working hard toward the next one.
You do you. Be you. That’s what the Chief did. That’s what I’m doing. Be God’s. Let Him take care of the rest.
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