“Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Hebrews:12:1

Sha’Carri Richardson is a 23-year-old American sprinter from Dallas, Texas. In June 2021, she was expected to run in the Tokyo Olympics, but was disqualified due to testing positive for marijuana and was suspended for one month. Sha’Carri’s biological mother passed away a week prior to the Olympic trials; she attributed her use of marijuana to cope with the loss. She acknowledged her wrongdoing, holding herself accountable for her actions. The media was relentless in covering Sha’Carri’s fall from grace as I perceived to give little empathy for the loss of her mother.

In August 2023, two years later, Sha’Carri Richardson makes a comeback by winning a gold medal in the 100-meter race during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Sha’Carri stated, “I’m not back; I’m better.”

We all have a race to run called life. We will trip up, fall, get some bumps and bruises but we get back up and continue the race. We all wish for a “happily ever after,” but life can dish out much adversity: loss of loved ones, broken relationships, loss of jobs, consequences for bad decisions and so on. Through it all, like Sha’Carri Richardson, we are resilient we get up, dust ourselves off, and get back on track again.

In an article titled, “5 Ways to Run Your Own Race,” Suzi Dafnis offers her top five tips for running your own race:

1. Avoid comparing yourself to others. The best person to compare yourself with is who you were yesterday, last year, or 5 years ago. If you know you have made progress based on where you have been, count that as a win and keep on moving.

2. Define what “success” looks like for you. If you don’t set a goal, it is hard to know when you have reached it. What are your goals? What does success look like for you? Having clear, tangible goals will prevail during tough circumstances.

3. Some rules were made to be broken. Following your own path often means being prepared to not go along with the status quo.

4. Back yourself. Trust your instincts. Trust your experience. Trust the insight you have into whatever your vision may be.

5. Say NO a LOT more. It’s hard to run your own race when you are busy running someone else’s. Most successful people have no problem with saying NO… a lot. It’s crucial to protect your time, your focus, and your resources, so you can get closer, every day, to YOUR vision.

I will leave you with the words of Sha’Carri Richardson: “I would say, never give up.’ Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your faith define who you are. I would say, always fight. No matter what, fight.”