Do you think the feeling of never being enough ever really goes away, or do we just learn to push through it anyway?
I get what you mean about always chasing excellence and knowing there’s always someone better. But honestly, that’s what keeps the fire going, right? It’s crazy how you put it—like fuel for the mind and the love of the pain.
That hit different because a lot of people run from that, but you’re saying to embrace it and keep going. I like how you flipped the whole idea of competition inward. Instead of worrying about everyone else, you just focus on beating yourself every time.
That’s a powerful way to look at it—makes me think about where I’m holding back just because I think I’ll never be the best at something.
Do you think the motivation to keep going comes more from proving something to yourself or from knowing there’s always someone better out there? 🤔
I get what you mean about that feeling never going away, but maybe that’s a good thing. If we ever felt like we reached the top, wouldn’t that take away the excitement of getting better?
It’s crazy how the mindset shift between average and great is really just about how we choose to see that challenge.
This is a great piece Austin. I've struggled between feeling 'smart' and then feeling 'mediocre' when I finally found somebody who could argue me down. It's been hard to realize that I'm never gonna be famous or the best at anything. I have small talents, and that's ok. I'm normal; my deficiencies merely lead me to appreciate when someone else is extraordinary in that area.
Also remember, that just because you have "small talents" doesn't not mean you can't do great things. It only takes a small wind to blow down a house of cards, or a mere push to roll a boulder down a cliff. God often uses what He has given us in ways we cannot even imagine.
Winning and losing defined by man is a standard that is fleeting. It often leads people to hold onto the past glory days now that their time has been surpassed by someone better. I think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who I personally idolized when I was a teenager, and yet now he often looks like someone homeless on the streets of California. His glory days are past so would he be a loser or if you win once do you forever get to be a winner?
We need to know that winning and losing in God's eyes is much different then winning and losing in man's eyes. As a fun example even reading about the hero's of faith in Hebrews 11 can sometimes make one scratch their head, and yet God has put some interesting picks on this list. So how many others are on God's list of winners when the world would absolutely put them on the big loser list! Just a thought.
Great writing, copious style, catching title; but I can't agree. Of course our primary goal should be moving in the right direction. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter where we are, only where we are going.
But under the sun, being a loser is an objective measurement based on the performance of others. If you lose to others you are a loser; if you are at the bottom of your trade you are a loser; if you don't win, you are a loser. If you are not the man "excellent in his work" that stands before kings, you are some variety of loser.
You are relativizing another standard of success which will only lead to more losers. Being worse than others is humbling, and being better than others demands humility. We improve by taking baby steps--just a little bit better than we were yesterday (like you said)--but at the end of the day, when the race is done somebody won, and everybody else lost. Christians should all strive to be that winner.
Thanks for the comment! I agree to some extent, as Christians God gives us each our own race. Our own journey to Him. We are not called to live or compete in someone else's race. However, I do think that looking to other people who are doing quite well (in whatever area) is valuable to keep us motivated.
But once again, at the end of the day, it is you and God, and what you have done with your talents. Perhaps, God only gave you two talents and you come back with four after working tirelessly, and to another 5 talents who came back with ten. God will judge us based on what we do with our own talents, not with what we do with our own talents compared to others.
Do you think the feeling of never being enough ever really goes away, or do we just learn to push through it anyway?
I get what you mean about always chasing excellence and knowing there’s always someone better. But honestly, that’s what keeps the fire going, right? It’s crazy how you put it—like fuel for the mind and the love of the pain.
That hit different because a lot of people run from that, but you’re saying to embrace it and keep going. I like how you flipped the whole idea of competition inward. Instead of worrying about everyone else, you just focus on beating yourself every time.
That’s a powerful way to look at it—makes me think about where I’m holding back just because I think I’ll never be the best at something.
I really don't know if that feeling ever goes away. For some, it is the motivation to continue, for others it's the motivation to give up.
That is what separates the average from the great.
Well, don't hold back, Jonathan!
Do you think the motivation to keep going comes more from proving something to yourself or from knowing there’s always someone better out there? 🤔
I get what you mean about that feeling never going away, but maybe that’s a good thing. If we ever felt like we reached the top, wouldn’t that take away the excitement of getting better?
It’s crazy how the mindset shift between average and great is really just about how we choose to see that challenge.
This is a great piece Austin. I've struggled between feeling 'smart' and then feeling 'mediocre' when I finally found somebody who could argue me down. It's been hard to realize that I'm never gonna be famous or the best at anything. I have small talents, and that's ok. I'm normal; my deficiencies merely lead me to appreciate when someone else is extraordinary in that area.
Thanks, Glori!
Also remember, that just because you have "small talents" doesn't not mean you can't do great things. It only takes a small wind to blow down a house of cards, or a mere push to roll a boulder down a cliff. God often uses what He has given us in ways we cannot even imagine.
Remember Ruth, remember Rehab, remember Mary.
Remember the things they did.
Remember who came from their line.
Thank you for the encouragement! I've been enjoying reading your writing.
Winning and losing defined by man is a standard that is fleeting. It often leads people to hold onto the past glory days now that their time has been surpassed by someone better. I think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who I personally idolized when I was a teenager, and yet now he often looks like someone homeless on the streets of California. His glory days are past so would he be a loser or if you win once do you forever get to be a winner?
We need to know that winning and losing in God's eyes is much different then winning and losing in man's eyes. As a fun example even reading about the hero's of faith in Hebrews 11 can sometimes make one scratch their head, and yet God has put some interesting picks on this list. So how many others are on God's list of winners when the world would absolutely put them on the big loser list! Just a thought.
Great writing, copious style, catching title; but I can't agree. Of course our primary goal should be moving in the right direction. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter where we are, only where we are going.
But under the sun, being a loser is an objective measurement based on the performance of others. If you lose to others you are a loser; if you are at the bottom of your trade you are a loser; if you don't win, you are a loser. If you are not the man "excellent in his work" that stands before kings, you are some variety of loser.
You are relativizing another standard of success which will only lead to more losers. Being worse than others is humbling, and being better than others demands humility. We improve by taking baby steps--just a little bit better than we were yesterday (like you said)--but at the end of the day, when the race is done somebody won, and everybody else lost. Christians should all strive to be that winner.
Thanks for the comment! I agree to some extent, as Christians God gives us each our own race. Our own journey to Him. We are not called to live or compete in someone else's race. However, I do think that looking to other people who are doing quite well (in whatever area) is valuable to keep us motivated.
But once again, at the end of the day, it is you and God, and what you have done with your talents. Perhaps, God only gave you two talents and you come back with four after working tirelessly, and to another 5 talents who came back with ten. God will judge us based on what we do with our own talents, not with what we do with our own talents compared to others.
Hey man! Just commenting on one of your posts to let you know I nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award. You can read more about it here - https://carsonwagner.substack.com/p/sunshine-blogger-award-nomination
Basically, you just have to make a post exactly like the one I did (the rules for the award are listed on mine). Lmk if you have any questions!