I’m about to jump in the car to take my son to State All Schools Athletics for hurdles and as I have a blog post due I thought I’d use hurdles and driving as analogies…

If life was a hurdles race (with your current dream or goal being the finish line) here are a few approaches you could take:

1. Go your hardest, jump those hurdles as best you can, make it to the finish line knowing you are really only competing with yourself. (Rise to the challenge, do your best, run your own race.)
2. Go your hardest, jump those hurdles as best you can, make it to the finish line to beat everyone else and WIN! (Rise to the challenge, do your best, compete with others to win.)
3. Give up, refuse to race. (Give up on your dreams, what’s the point?)
4. Start the race doubting yourself, fall over a hurdle and then give up. (I knew I couldn’t do it.)

There are a few more variations too, but let’s stick with these for now.

I think the first option adding, ‘take a rest when you need one’ is an okay analogy for life, because you will come across hurdles when you follow your dreams in life, but this analogy isn’t great because life is not a race and it certainly isn’t a competition.

Life is an adventure! It is an opportunity for us to follow our dreams at our own pace, to overcome our own hurdles and to make the unique difference on earth we were born to make.

Only one person can win a hurdles race whereas everyone can follow their dreams and eventually make it! And ‘yes’ of course you can change your dream along the way, which would be like changing the finish line!

Maybe life is more like a leisurely journey we drive on. We can change our destination at any time, depending on what we are passionate about. It’s important for us to take Pit Stops along the way to make sure we are not carrying any unhelpful baggage and it’s important for us to fill up with loving, inspiring and empowering beliefs about ourselves, other people and life that will help us enjoy the journey and the company of those we share it with.

Where do those challenges or hurdles fit it to the leisurely drive analogy – maybe they are roadworks where we have to stop and wait or take a detour. Maybe there are times we crash, break down and need support to get ourselves going again.

Yep, I like the ‘leisurely drive’ analogy much better, speaking of which I better take that son of mine to Sydney!

If you are thinking about bringing one of your beautiful children to a workshop these school holidays there are a couple of places left in the kids (6-9 yrs) group, let me know as soon as you can. For more details check out sparkyandshady.com/workshops

Love Kathy