Stop racing people who aren’t carrying your load

Yesterday, on a shaded creekside path, I picked up a quick lesson in how wrong we can be when judging our PR careers.

Up ahead, a woman was jogging with a double-wide stroller, and then stopped. As I passed, I heard her patiently negotiating — “But you just had breakfast” — with two tow-headed toddlers.

I can’t don’t run, so she soon breezed past me — only to halt again: “Nope, sit down!” More crying, more coaxing. We leapfrogged four or five times, exchanging “Hi again” each pass. On my return leg she was walking, one boy on her hip, pushing the stroller one-handed.

I tried to be encouraging: “Time for your strength-training segment!” I finished the out-and-back first, but calling it a “win” would be nonsense. Our goals and our loads were entirely different.

That mismatch shows up in PR careers all the time. Ambitious pros eye a peer’s rapid rise and think, I should be there by now. What they forget to factor in is their version of this parable’s “two toddlers” — the constraints nobody else sees.

Take the veteran communicator I coached, frustrated she’s not running proactive thought-leadership programs. Her executives keep saying, “Not necessary — just stay reactive.” Those approvals (or lack of them) are her toddlers. She has sound financial reasons to stay, so her race is different. Success, for now, means excellence within those limits.

So if a middle-aged guy with a mere walking pace seems to pass you on the PR career trail, check what — or who — you’re pushing that he isn’t.

Stop judging your pace against someone else’s race — especially if you’re hauling extra weight they don’t see.

Micro-action: Jot down your current “toddlers” — budget caps, risk-averse leaders, family duties, anything real that slows your sprint. Then give yourself credit for moving forward with them.

Before I close, I wanna shout out to my teammates Samantha and Cassie, who keep MichaelSMARTPR running while literally juggling toddlers at the same time!