Life is a marathon? Life is a sprint? Which one?

We’ve all heard it before. “Life is like a marathon,” you have to pace yourself and burn slowly. It’s a way of telling people that you have to take it one mile at a time. I personally struggle with that idea and the meaning behind it. Don’t get me wrong, some aspects of that statement are true but not all.

I believe that life is a blend. It’s a blend of a marathon and a series of sprints. There are phases in our lives that require us to go all out. Times when we will stay up till 3 a.m. to get the project done or work on our passions, and then times when sticking to a sustainable system is the way to go. Systems help ground us and give us some semblance of direction in our life. They are a blue print to the end goal. In that system, there are times when we walk. The task now is finding out whether it’s time to pace or sprint.

A few examples of when to pace like you’re in a marathon are:

If you are a college student. Trust me you’re going to want to pace. Organize your projects, get a planner, do a little bit each day. This will come in handy when you see your dorm mate’s trying to pull an all-nighter’ because they waited until the last minute.

Building relationships is a major time to pace. Take the time to know people. Learn them and learn how you feel around them. Rushing too fast in any relationship will leave you feeling like a marshmallow that was on the fire a little too long: burned and hurting.Pacing yourself in building relationships allows you to build a connection and explore it before making rash decisions. That’s not saying that some passionate-sparks flying-can’t get you out of my head-relationships don’t last, it’s saying that taking time provides perspective.

Now it’ time to sprint:

When you get burst of inspiration. You know what I mean, you’ve got an idea in your head and you’re trying to plan everything out and make sure everything is perfect. You spend weeks deliberating and playing out scenarios. And then, BOOM, analysis paralysis hits you in the face and you may take no action. I say, explore the inspiration, act, fail fast, and learn from the decision. All much easier said than done, believe me. I’ve been there, and I still fall into that trap sometimes. When I have acted and adjusted as I go, it’s been amazing!

· Following your purpose and gifts. This one is a blend of both a marathon and a sprint. There are moments when your purpose and gifts are going to give you burst of energy, and you’re going to make powerful long lasting moves. There are also times when your purpose and gifts are going to ask you to slow down, so they can teach you some things you’re not going to learn in a sprint. Things that would pass you by as if you were in a car and the trees where just zooming by. Know when to get out of the car and walk, and when press the gas, baby, because you got places to be!

And lastly, these phases don’t happen for everyone at the same time! Trust your timing and your process. They’re specific to you and you only.

I’d love to hear your comments and your thoughts? When have you noticed you were in a sprint? When have you been in your marathon? Do you agree/disagree?

Comment below!