I didn’t choose the standard.

I know it though.

Hit the mark. Stay ahead. Don’t stop.

I say I don’t care about comparison.

Then why do I keep checking?

Keep measuring.

Keep feeling like I’m falling behind

in a race that I never meant to enter.

That’s the trap.

I am focused on a metric that keeps moving.

To a version of success that isn’t mine.

I had wins.

Made progress.

Felt real meaning.

I still felt behind.

Still felt late.

Still felt like I should be doing more.

The scoreboard doesn’t track growth.

It tracks pace.

It tracks perception.

It tracks everything I haven’t done yet.

That’s the score I inherited.

Perform well. Be liked. Win.

I don’t want to keep earning my own enufness.

I want to name my own game.

Then decide what it means to win it.