Elle Babington Steele - Run Your Race: How to Keep Going When Life Wears You Out

Copyright 2014 by E. Babington Steele

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at (info@ebabingtonsteele.com). Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

First Edition: February 2014

ISBN 978-0-9914169-0-5 / ISBN 978-0-9914169-1-2 (eBook)

Contact (booking@ebabingtonsteele.com) to book the author for a speaking event.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014901041

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to all of the people whose dreams have been deferred and whose journeys have felt like marathons; to my family of fighters (Mom, Dad, Z, D, & Bobby) for allowing me to share your stories as a message of hope; to my father, who many years ago, and even still, tells me run your race; to my beautiful angel, Dakota Sky, who is forever smiling down on us; to Dominic, our gift from the Lord that is sure to come; and to my soul mate Dwaynemy light, my love, and my friend.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Some truths of life are revealed as we make this journey from time to eternity. One that is demonstrated in every time zone and culture is the power wielded by pressures of various kinds that, if allowed, would mold us and direct (or redirect) us. Certainly peer pressure is one of the leading culprits that rob young and old alike of their uniqueness. A crowd personality emerges from a place that an individual used to dwell.

External pressures attack, but often the most challenging sources that exert the force that results in hasty decisions and not very-well-thought out courses of action come from within. We could label these doubts, fears, or insecurities. Our esteem for ourselves or our lack of confidence in our abilities, particularly as we do comparisons to what we assume about others that are around us, can be crippling.

One of the greatest gifts we can receive is that which will empower us to take on life with courage, to honor what we have, and to strive earnestly to reach all that we are capable of achieving. This volume you have in your hands or have downloaded onto some twenty-first-century device is such a gift.

The title Run Your Race may seem elementary, but I want to assure you that if you truly understand and embrace the message, you will find it to be elegant in its simplicity and empowering because of the truth it offers. The phrase has become an important landmark in our family story. These words were launched from my spirit, through my vocal cords, and out of my mouth one day, directed at my daughter. She was demonstrating an iron will as part of her character and taking on physical and emotional challenges in a public setting, which you will learn more of in the pages that follow. I saw her inner strength and determination, and I wanted to affirm and encourage her. I shouted to her, RUN YOUR RACE, MUNCH! RUN YOUR RACE! I often describe my daughter as the best human being I know. As you engage with this important book, I believe you will better understand why I consider her a godly asset, and I believe you will find the power to run your race as well.

Alfred Babington-Johnson

Authors father

INTRODUCTION

RUN YOUR RACE!

About twenty or so years ago I was about to run the race of my life. This race was not a figurative one, but literally a race in which I qualified to run at the regional level in the Junior Olympics (having advanced past the state level). Why the race of my life? We will get to that a little later. As a young girl, I was what many would consider to be skinny and awkward, given my lanky appearance and developing coordination. I was, by all accounts, one who was not predicted to advance past the regional level, and as it turns out, I didnt. However, I had by some display of ability earned my spot to run in this race. It is important to note that I was placed in a lane toward the outside of the track (lane eight or nine). Thus, it was fair to say that the odds may have been stacked against me, as it was common knowledge which lanes were assigned to those that had the best qualifying times (lanes four and five). Regardless, I was at the starting line for the 800- meter dash (two laps around the track). As I entered my lane, I got into position (one knee set on the track beneath me, the other set in the air ready to begin the race). Upon the bang of the starting gun I took off. I applied the running approach I was given by my coaches in the past (pace yourself). I started slow to maintain my endurance for the entire race. Strategies aside, soon after I began running, it appeared very quickly that my competitors were pulling ahead. By my first lap I was well behind everyone in the race. However, I continued to run. As my race continued, my competitors crossed the finish line. I still had three-quarters of my last lap yet to complete. Now alone on the track, it would no longer be possible for me to win or even qualify for the finals. However, I continued to run. Running now not a race for the win or for qualification, but a race to finish.

As I was getting closer to completing the race, I remembered my coaches instructing me in times past to finish strong by applying a sprint finish. I may have taken a very long time to run this race, but I had conserved enough energy to kick things into high gear at the end. I began to pick up my speed with sheer will and ferocity. My determination was consistent with one who still had a chance of finishing first or qualifying for the finals. As I zeroed in on my last hundred meters, I was in a full sprint. Much to my surprise, the crowd cheered as I ran toward the finish line. My father shouted from the stands with great spirit, telling me, RUN YOUR RACE, MUNCH! (Munch is a term of endearment my father uses to refer to me.) And I did. I ran my race all the way to the end.

Why was it my race? It was my race because it was no longer the conventional win I was running for; it was my race because I decided to run until I, too, crossed that finish line, in spite of where I placed. Why was it the race of my life? It was the race of my life because, as fate would have it, many of the experiences I would live through in my life would show me that I might not be the one to cross many of lifes proverbial finish lines first, but my determination and drive would allow me to keep going until the end.

If you are reading this book and looking to get encouragement from the perspective of a person who is used to crossing the finish line first, figuratively speaking, you should probably put this book down and find another. I am quite accustomed to not finishing first. Actually, I often finish last. So I wrote this book for those who have gone through life and feel as if they have somehow missed out on winning. I wrote this book for those who may have had some wins, but were devastated by a really big loss. I wrote this book for those who have been overlooked, underestimated, and misunderstood. I wrote this book for those of you who have been made to feel worthless at many of lifes turns and bends, because you havent quite gotten a return on all of the effort and energy you put out there to accomplish your dreams, hopes, and aspirations. I wrote this book to inspire you to keep going in spite of the challenges and heartbreak you may be experiencing. I wrote this book for you and for myself. I am currently going through one of the hardest, most painful moments of my life. This book is a compilation of my thoughts, revelations, and stories that I tell of those who kept going in spite of whatever came their way. I use all of this to keep me going. I am in the midst of trying to achieve what I hope will be my first successful pregnancy (you will read the full story later on in the book). I wrestle daily with an overlooked and poorly researched neurological sensory disorder that challenges my interactions and experiences on a moment-to-moment basis. It is sometimes debilitating. There are a number of other challenging circumstances I could share about my life that few people know, but my personal story is not the point of this book. I do not share these circumstances for pity, nor to convey that I have been dealt the worst hand. I know there are many who have far worse circumstances than I. I also know there are many who have far less blessings than God has bestowed upon me. I know there are so many that suffer in silence. I only share some of my challenges to give you the perspective that I write from.