Eisley Jacobs -

You hear a lot in society about running a good race. Maybe the race is your job, your writing career, your family, your illness… everyone says, “run a good race”!!

The question is, what does a good race look like?

To some people a good race is a fast one where they come out on top regardless of the circumstances around them. This takes hard work, determination, and a set of priorities that can not be changed.

To others, a good race is like the turtle. You set your priorities and if something comes in your path, you consider this and reroute your priorities and finish a strong and confident race. It’s okay that you aren’t first and you might have even been last. But you are at the end and you have accomplished everything you set out to do.

Then there are those who don’t have any priorities for the race and they just race it to have fun and see the other racers. To be with people of all walks of life, encouraging them along the way and just having a great time being *IN* the race.

And still others who just run at a steady pace and train themselves for other races while racing THIS one. They too will never be first but its about endurance and fortitude to them. Showing themselves they have discipline and they can and will do this.

So who is right? How do you find out which is the right path for you to race on?

I wish I could give you the answer. I wish there was a finite answer for every person, but unfortunately every race has different circumstances which require you to really evaluate how you will run it.

Priorities play a big part in every race. Deciding what your priorities are before you begin is a huge first step for EVERY race. And by priorities I mean what is the MOST important to you. If “this thing” comes into my path, where on my priority list will it fall? Will I cease the race for a moment to take care of it, or will I say, “I can’t deal with this right now, I’m in a race” ?

When I race, I can take any of the above paths. There was a time in my life when the race was my priority. And when something came in my path I would hurdle it and keep racing. However, there was folly in this race. My priorities were all wrong and it showed in everything I did.

The race suffered (even tho I was hurdling those barriers). My family suffered. My health suffered. And when I finally tried to cross the finish line, I realized all those hurdles I had been jumping were for a totally different race and I had barely begun the one I’d started. It’s a hard thing to come to grips with, but I failed. Sure I had successfully found the finish line, but when I was standing there, it was the wrong line that I crossed.

I challenge each of my readers to figure out what race they are running and how they are running it.

Are you running the job race? The family race? The writing race? The friend race? The marriage race?

Then decide what that race should look like based on the most important things in your life.

For me, my children are my number one priority. If they become a barrier I have to hurdle in my race, then I am running the wrong race with the wrong motives. I only have nineteen TOTAL years to be with my children and be their mommy. THEY are my number one priority regardless of which race I take on. And I will remember that when I pin that hypothetical number on my back and chest to start the race, they will be there cheering me on. But the moment one of them needs me, the race takes second seat and I will accept a different trophy for my efforts.

So what are your priorities for this race?

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