It started with recreational soccer in kindergarten. There I was kicking the ball occasionally when it came near me, and then turning back to look at the little flowers growing in the field. Then, out of nowhere, came first, second, and third grade, and the drive to make the “travel” team. Everyone wanted to be the best at the things we liked to do. Fast forward to high school. We found ourselves competing on many levels - not only with the peers that I grew up with and that filled our halls each day, but also with students across the country that would be my competition as I looked toward the future and college. We worked hard to get good grades and to build our resumes, and when the school day ended, we powered through two hours of sports practice. I mean, we had to be the best we could at that too. Then we would get home, push through hours of homework to get the grades to build an impressive transcript, just to wake up the next day to do it all over again. We do this all to get into the best schools we can, then to get the best jobs we can, then to be successful and live a good life. Right? Isn’t that how everything is supposed to pan out?

I guess you could say that. However, there is one big problem. I have found far too often that having this eyes-on-the-prize mentality can also be a negative thing. Yes, having goals is great and everything. But sometimes in the end, are they really just a necessary evil? We live in a generation where if you're not pushing yourself harder and harder everyday, you're repeatedly asked, “what are you doing with your life?” There is an expectation that we all have to be this perfect human being: getting the best grades, building the perfect transcript, getting into the colleges we dream of, getting amazing jobs, all to live lives people can only dream to have. Sometimes, when we are constantly pushing, we develop tunnel vision to the end result.

Do we really lose sight of the proverbial forest from the trees? We need not to lose sight of all of the amazing things around us, all of the little wins we get along the way that make the big win possible. Most importantly, we are not to lose sight of those people that touch our lives each and every day. We live in a society that ironically has become more transparent in light of technology and social media, but somehow does not value “friends” even though we cannot have hundred, if not thousands of them. It happens too often that people come in and out of our lives along the spectrum of time. Now, this may take time, but it will become apparent that some people in your life are the special ones, the true exceptions, without whom our lives would be incomplete. I have come to learn a lot about relationships and “finding your peeps” (as my number one fan – thanks mom – would always say). We live in a time where a lot in life is about being the best and outshining the rest. All I can say to that is make sure you embrace what comes along in that race – the people that will make it all worth it in the end, win or lose.