Twenty-twenty-four is only eight weeks old. So, the year is still relatively new. Right? From my conversations with some people, this isn’t the case. What started for many as a celebratory welcoming of a new chapter already feels stale or mundane a few weeks in. A few others noted, however, in a somewhat celebratory tone of voice that the youthfulness of the year is a good reason to remain in a festive mood.
If it continues to feel like a new beginning sixty days in, what is helping some to experience a continual sense of newness? And how are things going for those who feel differently? How is it going for you so far? Is the year unfolding in your favor?
The new year euphoria does wane considerably fast. And many people now view the ubiquitous “Happy New Year” greeting as old news. But the enthusiasm many of us exhibited when the clock struck midnight to ring in twenty-twenty-four should continue in a manner that does not require the fanfare of New Year revelers. In fact, there may be benefits to persisting with this enthusiasm by steadily pacing ourselves with whatever goals or tasks we’re laying before us to accomplish this leap year.
Ways of Pursuing a New Start May Vary Among Individuals
For many, the new year is a starting point for personal goals that will hopefully result in good outcomes. For others, it’s about starting anew and closing a chapter on what may have been an unpleasant, fifty-two-week stretch of mishaps, disappointments, or losses (perhaps all of the above) that are best forgotten. Many may have contemplated starting the year with a clean slate or building upon already accomplished goals. Whatever intentions they have under consideration between now and next December thirty-first, it’s all about where to start and how to keep the momentum going.
Research has demonstrated that many individuals abandon their New Year’s resolutions within the first few weeks of the new year. Elaine K. Hurley’s piece in US News and World Report, for instance, notes research showing that many individuals lose their motivation by mid-February. From people I’ve spoken to, some may see the new year as starting a new goal and expecting immediate results to justify the pursuit. However, the need for immediate gratification seems to cause some to give up. For many individuals, if they don’t see the desired results quickly enough, then it’s assumed that the task is not working. Or, because the task is not working quickly enough, the enthusiasm for its pursuit begins to wane. And for some, it’s the euphoria of a goal that initially captured their interest. However, the euphoria dissipates, and the initial appeal no longer seems as important as it originally did.
People’s desperate desire to see fast results is a phenomenon that has been around for a while. And, according to health experts addressing this phenomenon, our current, fast-paced world of on-demand internet and social media has exacerbated the difficulty for many to delay gratification. Thus, allowing personal growth to proceed slower in specific interests, especially those involving New Year’s resolutions, may seem unusual or impractical. However, if there’s a practical lesson to glean from this effort, it’s this. Pacing oneself toward self-improvement or a desired external pursuit may be the very thing that will result in a fulfilling and purposeful outcome. Individuals could think of taking it slow or step-by-step as a precondition to seeing their desired New Year’s resolutions come to fruition. It’s a lifestyle lesson worth considering, especially for anyone whose usual preference is to seek quick results. It’s also a lifestyle lesson that could benefit from an example for anyone who needs to be convinced. Who better to exemplify such a health-promoting lesson than a tortoise?
What Can a Tortoise Teach Us?
The enduring fables of the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop include The Tortoise and the Hare. Today, it’s an allegorical tale included among popular children’s stories. Many of you likely remember being read this children’s classic by your grade school teacher during reading circle or by your parents at bedtime.
For those unfamiliar with The Tortoise and the Hare, the story’s moral is to avoid giving in to pride and overconfidence, lest you stumble and fail to achieve your goal. For anyone needing a quick refresher, the hare arrogantly noted his presumption of being the victor when the tortoise challenged him to a race. Despite the hare’s brashness, it wasn’t unrealistic for him to assert this claim, given his natural prowess in speed in contrast to the tortoise’s familiar slowed stride. But his arrogance got the best of him when he believed he could nap and still have time to complete the race when he awakened. The hare’s complacency resulted in the tortoise reaching the finish line first despite the hare’s desperate effort to catch up. The takeaway (for this blog post) is that the tortoise stayed the course while the hare failed to do the same.
Staying the Course
We all have had the experience of rushing to achieve a goal or task. And there may have been instances where the circumstance justified the need to be quick. But we can also learn from the tortoise’s lesson when we pace our steps, striding toward our intended objective as we stay the course.
If we stick with the verb form of “stride” to understand how to pace ourselves towards a goal we set for ourselves this year, consider its definition, as stated in the Oxford Learner Dictionary, as a concise guide: “walk with long, decisive steps in a specified direction.” The first thing that comes to mind when I think of walking with long, decisive steps in a specific direction is the moment I decided to start a blog. It was a long-standing goal I eventually realized would come to fruition with careful planning and patience.
A Personal Example of Staying the Course
When I embarked on creating the Health-promoting Bandwagon, I envisioned having a live site within a couple of months with several published posts and frequent visitors curious to see the most recent published piece. One objective I achieved immediately was having the site go live. In fact, it went live the day I created an account on WordPress.
When I launched the site and knew it was live with barely any content, including no postings, I panicked. I then sat back in my chair, quelled my fears, and pondered the implications of launching an online publication without careful consideration. My only option was to pace my steps by deconstructing what I initially envisioned for the health and wellness webpage.
I focused on developing ideas for the blog’s layout design, creating an outline similar to the content page of a chapter book (reflecting the different sections of the website), and listing a few blog post ideas to draft for publication. This focus resulted in a project that would take several months to complete with a simple end goal: to create a professional yet simple, user-friendly layout that piques the interest of casual perusers seeking to improve their physical and mental well-being.
While I initially anticipated a prolific writing adventure that would generate weekly blog posts (to keep pace with similar websites), I only published three pieces by the end of the blog’s first year. This was an unexpected outcome. And it was fine with me for reasons I’ll explain shortly. Another unforeseen outcome during its first year was the absence of traffic. According to my WordPress stat board, my webpage had no visitors. Surprisingly, I found solace in knowing there was no audience to peruse and, perhaps, critique what I felt was an uncertain leap of faith into the online writing world.
With my already busy schedule, I could periodically review the site over several weeks (or months) and make any refinements to the site’s layout and revisions (as I was the only one to proofread drafts) to published content. I felt I would reap the benefits of devoting this level of attention to the details of HPB. Anticipated benefits included interested readers and, hopefully, followers. Pacing myself also enabled me to ascertain if this endeavor was a worthwhile investment of my limited time and energy. I’m pleased to report that nearly seven years later, the dividends of my investment, in the form of followers, having a space to share inspiring thoughts and experiences, and the delight from writing, have demonstrated that staying the course paid off.
The Takeaway
Staying the course and doing so in a paced, not rushed manner is a message I hope to implore in this piece regarding your New Year’s resolution and any other aspirations you’re looking to achieve in twenty twenty-four. I hope you consider the benefits of walking with long (or short), decisive steps toward your goals. Perhaps Aesop’s fable, my reported experience in creating my blog, or other people’s stories of pacing themselves and staying the course will inspire you to follow suit and trust that you’ll achieve fruitful and rewarding results in your endeavors for this year.
Also, remember that since this is a leap year that includes an extra day, don’t act as the hare did by becoming complacent. Don’t believe 366 days versus 365 days buys you a little extra time.
Yes, I know. Noting the extra day is silly commentary at best, as an additional twenty hours will likely do little. All kidding aside, I mention this to underscore the simple lesson from a slow-moving tortoise: stride and stay the course. Or, as Aesop eloquently noted in his famous fable, “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Happy Leap Day! I wish you all the best for this leap year.
© 2024 The Health-promoting Bandwagon. All rights reserved.
The Health-Promoting Bandwagon 