“The day you stop racing is the day you win the race.”

This is the quote I read at 4 A.M. while scrolling through Instagram, which, perhaps, changed my life. 

As a teenager, everybody around me, including myself, is always concerned with who I want to become. We’re too invested in who we will be one day; we forget who we are and where we stand. By saying this, I don’t mean to just neglect our dreams and aspirations but ensuring that we’ll be a better version of ourselves even in the future. We will stay true to ourselves and give a minute to look clearly at our reflection without any uncertainty.

We waste so much time living in the future that we abandon our present selves. We fail to give ourselves a little time to just be. We start thinking about living instead of just living and being out there. And therefore, we fail to become what we aspire. This leads to a never-ending cycle of self-doubt, hatred as well as repentance.  So, sometimes, all you have to do is stop, take a walk in the park, and breathe.

Just breathe.

Let yourself listen to your own self. Listen to the soft voice coming from inside you and give it some credit because it has given you the strength and courage to come this far. 

Let yourself listen to the birds chirping, trees dancing, and leaves rustling. Give yourself a break from the trending songs all over your ‘for you page.’

Let yourself listen to the sound of silence and embrace it to the fullest, as it is a pleasure to be here and not because you have to.

Everybody is racing to get to the point where they will feel “whole,” and so they run and run and run. But we forget that it’s more about the journey and not the destination. We forget that if we don’t stop and look around, we won’t be able to cherish the time when we actually reach the endpoint. And after all this, if the end isn’t rewarding, then was it really worth it? I think not.

While we are so stuck up running in an imaginary race, we often miss the most beautiful things staring at us right in the face. It could be a person waiting for you to notice them or, an old journal waiting to be found, or maybe even a place waiting to be explored that could make you content within yourself.

It is important to stay in the present and live in the moment. The past doesn’t have a place for you anymore, and the future is eagerly waiting for your better self to come. The present is where you knock yourself out a thousand times so you learn and grow. Enjoy the journey, take a second for yourself, and be grateful.

So, here’s a request to everyone; take a moment to look at that deep orange hue of the sunset today, pick up that flower lying on the sidewalk of the school tomorrow, and watch your favorite movie again the day after. At the end of the day, remind yourself to stop and look at that smallest thing because you never really know how big it could be. Well, then, maybe you could become what you intend to become and stay happy throughout the journey.

This was written by our contributing writer, Harshal Verma.