Stop Racing Against Time – It’s Killing Your Body and Soul

Bob Marley said those wise words – “the day you stop racing is the day you win the race.” I am not as wise as him, but the words he said make so much sense to me.

Everything comes to us at exactly the right time.

These words came to me in a moment where I was racing so hard that I was killing myself. I was racing against time, beyond time, and hoping to beat time.

I was working 18 hours a day, and not able to rest at night. Don’t get me wrong, I was fulfilled.

I was happy. I thought this was what I was supposed to be doing. And probably in those moments of time, I was. I absolutely was meant to be doing that.

But as moments passed by, the message became clear. I had to stop racing against time. The race had to end, or I would die racing.

To put it into real-life terms, the universe was sending me the signal, that the more I was doing, the further away from myself I was running off to. Even though I was spending my time working on projects that meant the world to me, it still didn’t mean anything.

It still meant that I was running around, being inauthentic to my true self. My true self just wanted to sit around, create, be lazy, and grow immeasurably through that laziness.

The Message Came, But I Was Being Stubborn

My parents were lonely. I knew that.

They were getting sick because of that loneliness. I knew that as well.

They were feeling unloved by their children because of it. Again, I knew that.

All of these were messages that the universe was sending my way. I realized from Bob Marley’s message that I needed to stop racing. There was nothing I had to prove to anyone.

The only person who needed anything was me, and I had already proven myself to myself. I knew who I was, and I was proud of myself.

No need to run anymore.

I quit my job. I packed my stuff. And I moved back home.

Without shame. Without guilt. I moved back to my parents’ house, to their beaming faces, and their lonely hearts.

It was the easiest decision to make, once the cobwebs from my eyes fell away. Once I stopped racing and started seeing the truth. The truth is that I had been trying to race against time, but no one manages to do that for very long.

The minute I stopped racing, I won. I am now spending time with my family.

Precious moments that I know I will laud when they are gone sometime in the future. What if I had kept on racing, and missed out on this beautiful time with them?

Would I be happy then? Was I happy racing? Maybe for a bit, but would I be forever?

Stop Racing – It’s The Hardest Thing But Necessary

Most people tell me that they are afraid to stop. They like the race. It keeps their minds full, and their hands busy.

They are not thinking about anything important. They are absolutely able to focus on the things that don’t matter and feel fulfilled.

It’s funny to me sometimes how we can be really busy, racing against time, and be working on the wrong things. Or even more funny – working on the right things, but still feeling unfulfilled.

Ironic is the word. I was working at a dream job in a dream place and I was still feeling trapped, miserable, and like something was missing.

Why? Because it was the wrong time for it. The race wasn’t part of my persona anymore.

I wasn’t meant to be racing anymore.

The race isn’t on. It’s gone. It’s done and over with.

Now it’s time to be still and still accomplish a lot.

But believe me, stop racing – it will be the hardest thing you shall ever do. The hardest thing you shall ever undertake.

But you have to. Just do it. Like Bob Marley says, if you wish to win, you need to stop.

You Don’t Need To Be Part Of The Race To Win The Race

We all think that we need to be part of the race that’s out there, the rat race or whatever other race you might be part of, in order to win the race. False! Absolutely false.

You don’t need to be part of the race, to win the race. In fact, all of the winners of the race are the ones who abandoned the race and are chilling out by the side of the race, eating vegan burgers, and spending time with loved ones. They are the ones who have figured out what the really important stuff is.

Partly it is to accomplish all of your awesome goals and to self-actualize yourself. But also, it’s to spend time with your loved ones before they are no longer around. Before you or someone else dies.

I am not part of the race anymore. I am not rushing around, from one thing to another.

Happily enough, I spend hours and hours and hours in the morning, sitting around, doing nothing. It really makes me joyful. It fills me up.

I do so much more because of it. The stuff that used to take me 12 hours to accomplish, I accomplish now in 3.

I am more productive. More efficient. More compassionate.