You’re not falling behind. You’re not supposed to be anything other than who you know yourself to be. You were created on purpose and with purpose. You don’t have to live this life feeling threatened by the success of others. The rhythm and pace of your life are exactly what it should be.

Most of us have this habit of looking around at the successes of others and end up using that as the base and foundation to measure our own worth.

I remember when I  started my copywriting business. I remember pouring out all my best words. I tucked my heart and passion into carefully curated and aesthetically pleasing templates, emails and PowerPoint presentations and hoped for the best. During those first few months, I spent hours sourcing and connecting with potential clients and new leads. I can’t tell you the number of afternoons I’d stand at my mailbox, holding my breath, praying there would be good news inside. When the rejection emails started coming, I tried to keep up the hope that surely there would be one positive answer. I just needed one client to say yes.

Soon, after I’d received more than one “no” from all my prospective leads, I felt so foolish for thinking I could actually start and run a successful business. My dream was nothing but a sham. I was not a good writer. And I must have heard God all wrong.

At the same time, I knew of people who were getting new clients left, right and centre. Amazing clients. Dreams-come-true kind of clients.

I did the right thing in my better moments and authentically celebrated with them. But behind the scenes, there were hard moments happening inside of me.

Moments where I felt like other people’s lives were rushing past me in a flurry of fulfilled goals, new opportunities, and affirmations of their callings from God. It seemed the world was literally passing me by. On the inside, I just kept thinking, Ouch — that means less and less opportunity for me … even though, on the outside, I declared, “Good for them.”

I wrestled, and I processed.

And I decided to get still. But this stillness wasn’t passive. I actively had to make a choice to reject the fears that said I’d been left out and left behind. And I had to starve my scarcity mindset of thinking that opportunities had passed me by altogether.

Then I could see new and life-giving possibilities. Maybe I wasn’t ready yet, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t ever be ready. Now was the time to stop looking around and start focusing on building a business I could be proud of. And eventually, I landed that dream client, and then there was another one after that, and after that as well.

Looking back on that season, this is the nugget of wisdom that sticks with me: Their success does not threaten yours or mine. When someone close to you does well, you also do well. All tides rise when we see them making this world a better place with their gifts.

When I finally started believing in the wholeness of this truth, my stillness turned into readiness.

Here’s what I want to tell you. Even if your dream isn’t starting your own business, or let these words in Luke 10:2 sink into a deep place inside your heart today: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

We can either choose to look out and see the unlimited, abundant opportunities God has placed before us. To create. To write. To try. To grow. To serve. To sing. To be and become. To harvest for Him.

Or we can gawk at another person’s opportunities and get entangled in the enemy’s web of lies that everything is scarce and that nothing is for us and start seeing another person’s creations as a threat to our opportunities.

Dear friend, I want you to hold on to the reminder today there is an abundant need in this world for your contributions — Your presence has a place here — your thoughts, words and artistic expressions — your exact brand of beautiful. Get close to it. Know it. Believe it. And then go on out there and live it!