Good News. You'e Not Behind.

You are not behind. Nope. Not even a little. 

The other day our 3-year-old daughter sadly exclaimed, “I don’t want to grow up!” With her older brothers’ talk about growing up so they can drive fast cars and get jobs to buy houses of their own (yup, and they’re only 7 and 5) she decided she didn’t want any of that. She feels fine right where she is.

And there is nothing wrong with my 3-year-old being 3, is there? She can’t drive a car yet, and I don’t expect her to! And I’m not planning on her moving out to do her own laundry and cooking anytime soon, either.

Here are three things to remember when you feel like you are behind:

1. Be right where you are. Sometimes under the weight of social media comparison or working hard because we want to reach bigger and better goals — we miss the here and now. 

Remember, you are allowed to take up space where you are right now. You are allowed to breathe right where you are. Do you want to set goals for your life and business? Isn’t setting goals a good thing? Of course! But if the thought of your dream to-do list leads to overwhelm and mental exhaustion, maybe it’s time for rest. For a purposeful pause.

I’ve been telling myself all the things I am telling you! I’m a doer who is married to a talented dreamer. There are always things we want to do next. But today I choose to be content right where we are -- the age we are, in the house we’re in, with the business we have.

2. Stop to look back.

Did you ever imagine your life would be what it is just 10 years ago? Even 5 years ago? Probably not. 

A decade ago, we were living in a different city and working in totally different places. We never would have imagined the life we have today. I can look back thankful for moments in each season.

We wouldn’t have been ready for today's blessings or the responsibilities that that come with being small business owners. We needed the growth that came from those earlier seasons. We needed the lessons we learned back then in order to be ready for where we are now. 

Looking back with thankfulness reminds us that each step, every season, is an important part of the journey.

3. You can move forward with clarity. 

When you are content where you are and you’ve taken stock of the struggles you have already overcome, you can move forward with clarity. 

Next steps become obvious. When making important business decisions, the right step becomes self-evident. Need to hand off responsibilities? Time to delegate so you can think big picture? Now you can because you’re not worried about micromanaging every move your employees make. Need to set smaller, micro-goals so you don’t exhaust yourself? Maybe it’s time to add “rest time” or something fun to your calendar and then make sure nothing is scheduled in its place.  

The future becomes less of a specific arrival point and more like hope and ambition that guides our day-to-day decisions. 

We can enjoy where we are now without feeling like we're not keeping up. 

You aren’t behind, friend. Today, you are right where you should be. Like my Papaw would say every time we would pull into his driveway after picking up Friday night takeout, “Here we is.” And that’s the best place to be.