Catching up

Have you got a mentor? A guide in life that you want to aspire to? Have you got an eye on that manager's position for some time now but you are still unable to fit into that position? Do you feel like you're trying to catch up with that someone just so you can actually BE more like that someone, be it a mentor, a position, a competitor, a friend, someone you love, or even someone you hate? Do you feel tired playing catch up? (click her for more)

A sportsman trains hard so that he can beat that champion who was just faster or stronger the last time. An employee works harder than the next person so that she can reach the next rung on the corporate ladder. A boyfriend spends more time and effort with that someone special so that he can fend off all competition and be the ultimate winner. A friend tries to catch up with another friend with what's going on with her life and find out if they're still on the same wavelength. A parent tries to find out what his son is up to so that he still recognises his son. Does any of these apply to you?

We all find ourselves catching up with someone at some point in life, whether we do it consciously or not. This is sometimes a good thing, as only by trying to catch up will we actually improve ourselves. The flip side of catching up is summed up by a common Chinese proverb - there will always be a higher mountain. Put it differently, will you ever know that you have caught up? by following the exact same path as a predecessor, will you end up at the same point on the mountain? or worse, when you think you've caught up, what if you find yourself climbing the wrong mountain?

I was working late one night when a very senior manager came over and asked about my work. He went on to ask if it was really necessary that i worked late that night (he is a really nice boss!). What I remembered from the conversation with him was an advice he gave me - always choose your battle.

Some battles are worth fighting for. Some are not. Not all battles are meant to be won. Victory for a battle may not mean victory for you.

By playing catch up with someone, you're setting yourself a goal, and that goal post is fixed in your mind. The person may have moved on, but you still cling on to that imaginary goal post. You will battle your way through so that you eventually (and hopefully) end up in a place you want to be.

I think setting up a goal post is important. You have to know where you want to shoot the ball. But we can only use that goal post as a guide, and not as an end. We've heard of the saying "the journey is more important than the goal". I believe the choice of journey is more important than being in any journey. It's not just about enjoying the journey or keeping calm in the journey while battling hard. The journey itself is an important choice. The path will always need to be reassessed according to yourself. Your level of maturity may have changed, your thought process may have changed, your perception of life and the world may have changed, the environment may have changed. You will have to look at your current path and see whether this is still the path you want to walk on.

Remember, you have a choice. You always have a choice. So choose your battle, and don't just play catch up.

Categories:

• inspire
• life