Running to Your Own Music

 “Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you.” - Henry David Thoreau

I was born and raised in a small city in Michigan, and if anyone has ever been raised in a small city, we know the saying, “small town, small minds” is true. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to visit and live in other parts of the country and expose myself to various people, cultures, incomes, mindsets, opportunities, and ways of life. However, when I had to move back to my childhood hometown, I knew one major challenge that I would be facing would be trying to adapt to the small town small mind mindset.

When I would visit my family over the summer, to stay consistent with my runs I would occasionally jog around the neighborhood, just as I did in my neighborhood in Georgia. During my jogs, I would get all types of stares and remarks from people that appeared had never have seen someone or experienced someone running in the area unless it was away from the police or from gunshots. I also would run at my local family church’s park and would get the feeling like maybe I should water down my workouts since it isn’t something that is common or encouraged in most impoverished neighborhoods.

There were times that I remember being hesitant to run on some days or I would think about delaying altogether until I returned back to Georgia. This was all because I was being criticized for doing something different on my journey to being my best self than was expected of me. I even had family and acquaintances give me sarcastic “encouragement” because I guess my stepping out of the box and making better choices challenged them to re-evaluate themselves. And by me taping into my best self made them uncomfortable because I was showing them a change that they thought they were content not making. As discouraging and hurtful as some of those comments were, I knew that outside of this environment I was changing for the better and I couldn’t allow the strongholds of this temporary environment to change me. I would think to myself, “I am only in Michigan for a short time and will be back in Georgia where this kind of action is nurtured and encouraged.”  So I pushed on and continued knowing that if I ever wanted things around me to change, I had to first be the change others see.

If we are not careful, we will become what we listen to and give our attention to. The conversations that we expose ourselves to shape who we become and are pivotal to the outcomes of who our future selves will be. While living in Georgia for over 10 years and in Minnesota for 5 years, I had been exposed to another level of thinking that was abundant and well-rounded. I had experienced the benefits of a better mindset and continued to submerge myself even more. So of course, my outlook on life would appear distorted and tainted to those who were used to living their life on pause and have not been exposed to greater. In the book, The Miseducation of a Negro, Dr. Carter G. Woodson said, “If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself.”

There are various types of people who come into your life. Some are anchors who hold you back and some are sails who help push you forward. I heard someone say, “In life, attempt to attain more sails because they will push you forward while acquiring more anchors will only hold you in place.” If you have anchors in your life, they are not intentionally attempting to be negative or to be perceived as negative people, they are just content with where they are and want to hold you back in their “Valley of Contentment” with them. That is where the power of the WHY comes in to help redirect your focus towards everything that you are working so hard to become.

Radio host and author, Charlamagne Tha God said on his show, The Breakfast Club, “People don’t need you to be rich to rob you. They just need you to have more than they have.” For someone to see you advancing and changing the narrative of your life, the life of your family, or even your community can spark envy, jealousy, and hate. It is the life that they wish they had but their fear will never allow them to attain it. Because of this, they will rob you of your motivation, ambition, and momentum just to keep you where they are so they don’t have to do the work to improve themselves. The bible says in Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” If you are trying to maintain your focus and working hard to become someone different than what your environment allows, it is important to have a group of sails to help move you forward. They will blow encouraging winds your way to give you the forward momentum that you will need to keep going. Ween out the anchors in your life as best as you can. It will help reduce distracting recordings playing in your mind as you become a better you! Blogger, Kelly Campana said, “The most expensive thing that you can do is pay attention to the wrong people.” Don't let the wrong people rob you of your dreams!

While running in Georgia and living in that “sailed” environment, I realize now that God was using my time in isolation to build my courage, confidence, and strength along with discipline, momentum, and motivation. So when the time came for me to move back to my small town, I had enough “run” inside me that pushed me to continue in my “WHY.” Now it doesn't matter the environment or the circumstance I am put in, I am totally sold to my WHY, and find ways to make things happen for me along the way. The bible says in Hebrews 13:21 NLT, “May He equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.” Now that I am been back living in my hometown, I am realizing all that life has trained me for is embedded deeply in me, so it is not an option to adapt and settle to become something lesser than what God created me to be. I am a runner and a go-getter; a boss in her own right! I have decided that it is okay to be different, to keep running to my own music, and to be the one that is walking backward while everyone is walking forward. Blending in hides you in the crowd, being different shows the world who you really are. Albert Einstein said it better, “The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find themselves in a place no one has seen before.”  

As you run towards your dreams and your goals, make sure to create a supportive environment full of “sails” that are on the sidelines cheering you on and helping you to become the best version of yourself. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with others who believe in you. If you do this, you can create the life that you always desired. 

What have you allowed others to tune your mind to? Have you given others the power to change your channel? What are some things that you can do to get your mind back thinking in the right direction? Check out this clip below for more encouragement!