When you're always looking ahead it's easy to lose sight of how far you've come.
If you're anything like me, as soon as you reach one goal you're already looking towards the next one.
When I first started my career as an athlete, I never felt like I was progressing at the rate I thought I should be. I looked around and it always seemed like other people were progressing faster than me, even though I knew I was working harder than them (at least I imagined myself to be).
This made me question everything I was doing:
Was I not following the right program?
Was I not working with the right coach?
Was I still not working hard enough?
Was I working too hard?
Was there something I was missing?
Should I even bother putting so much time and energy towards this goal?
Ultimately, what kept me going -- and what still keeps me going -- was that I was madly in love with the process and I had a deep sense that I would live the rest of my life asking "what if?" if I'd given up on myself. It felt like it was my purpose to figure this thing out, no matter how long it took me.
And now, looking back from this vantage point, I realize that everything was exactly how it was supposed to be. All the challenges I faced were necessary to help me realize the potential of the man I am today and the person I'm continuing to become.
The same is true for you. You're exactly where you're supposed to be. All the challenges in life are there FOR you to grow.
We are all on our own unique journey because we are each a unique expression of the potential of ALL POTENTIAL.
What may come easily to you may be difficult for others; and what may come easily to others may be difficult for you. And it is all exactly how it's supposed to be.
The skills and experience you need to fulfill your purpose and manifest your dreams may be completely different than someone else. That is why the challenges you're faced with may be completely different than someone else.
Someone could be very gifted in weightlifting, but struggle with their sense of self-worth and establishing meaningful relationships with others. Likewise, someone could be doing extremely well with their finances, and yet find themselves facing constant health challenges.
The key thing to realize is that there isn't a right or wrong path to take -- there's just YOUR path and the choice you get to make as to whether you engage and grow through the challenges you're faced with or avoid, blame, reject, and condemn the path and thus continue to perpetuate the same types of challenges in your life.
And the paradox is that the more you surrender to the flow of life instead working so hard to uphold the ego's ideas of how things should be, the more efficiently you progress through the path, coming to the ultimate realization that the path was the destination all along because the journey is what initiates the transformation that allows you to live into your potential.
The journey is the way.
I hope this helps.
Talk soon,
Nathan Barna