If you have a friend who’s completed a marathon, you’d probably know it. It’s a requirement. Upon completing a marathon, you have to put the “26.2” sticker on the back window of your minivan or some other vehicle that looks like the complete opposite of something a marathon runner would drive.
And that’s cool.
I get it. You did something awesome. You sacrificed dearly to accomplish a goal few can reach. You’ve more than earned the right to tell people about it. My issue is with people like me who see it.
I’ve never ran a marathon. I probably never will. Maybe one day, but not anytime soon. I like running. I don’t love running. But my thought here is about success. Like I said, I like to run. For me that involves a few miles at a time. On a good run I usually do about three miles. I try to do this at least once or twice a week. On days when the weather is nice and I have the time I
like to do five. That’s about it for me. No long distance stuff where I have to wear those cool belts with the water packs stitched into them. Which is good because I don’t like camels or fanny packs and those are kind of both.
But I’m getting off track. My issue is when I’ve finished a good run and covered in sweat, I feel great. I’ve done something good for me and feel better physically and mentally. I’m driving home with the windows down and letting the air dry me off in my wife’s car as my sweaty back leaves lovely stains on her seat cushions (an added bonus that I’m sure she’ll thank me for later). And just while I’m driving home singing “Free Fallin'” to the top of my lungs and doing my best Jerry McGuire impression, what do I see? One of those stickin’ 26.2 stickers blow past me on the back of some guy’s Prius.
Deflated, I turn the radio down, roll up my windows, and lean forward in my seat to air out my drying back. Internally I’m saying,
“You ran five miles. That’s nothing. Navy SEALS run three miles just to get to breakfast. Then they have to run three miles back. That dude ran a marathon. He literally ran something so crazy that it killed the first person that did it, and for some reason, other people started doing it.”
I wish I could say that’s an embellishment, but that’s exactly how the dialogue goes on in my head.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that we shouldn’t compare our own successes and milestones against others. To me it’s not jealousy or envy really. It’s the fact that you can’t celebrate your own accomplishments if you compare them to someone else’s. The fact that someone did something better than you doesn’t reduce the fact that you still did something. It’s a fact that’s easily forgotten when you scroll through social media. Be happy for the achievements of your friends and family and know they probably worked very hard to get them. But be sure to give yourself a pat on the back from time to time, if you did something. If you haven’t done anything, time to get started. That sweet camel/fanny pack thing is only $35.
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