New Year Thoughts on the Run
Turning the calendar from one year to the next prompts thoughts on “what will be different?” and “how to be better?”. There will definitely be some “more of the same”. The real question is, what is the balance between striving for consistency and pushing the boundaries of change?
There is a well-known meme where a person standing at a podium asks the audience, “who wants change?” Everyone in the audience puts up their hand in favour of a change. The person at the podium then asks, “who wants to change?” No one puts up their hand. The message here is that others must change, but not me.
Change requires effort. It also involves introspection, looking within and recognising the need for change.
There are degrees of change. A small change in one’s perspective on an issue can make a big difference. But sometimes, one must turn over the whole apple cart and make some significant changes. Turning over the entire apple cart feels a bit dramatic and isn’t my style. So, there will be none of that for now. I’m going to settle for something in between.
For the last six months, I have been eyeing the end of 2021 as an opportunity to mix things up a little. My daughter ends her schooling years and is heading off to university. The constraints of school holidays and proximity to her school are no longer applicable. That creates opportunity and requires actively changing some well-engrained life habits to take advantage of the change in circumstances.
The opportunity for change has promoted some “New Year Thoughts on the Run”. On Sunday, I found myself running over Mandela Bridge into the city. We stopped for a picture in the shadow of Madiba outside the Magistrates Court.
My thoughts on the run revealed the significance of the change in year. In reality, the 1st of January and the 31st of December are hardly different. Other than a change in number, a new month and another Sunday run, nothing is significantly different. Yet that is not true. Arriving in the new year feels like getting to the top of a hill and finally seeing what is on the other side. It is not that there is something so significant on the other side that it could not have been imagined before getting to the top of the hill. It is more like the feeling of being able to see the road ahead and be comfortable in saying, “okay, that’s what it looks like, now let’s get on with it.”
Arriving at the “top of the hill” has triggered me to start taking action and making some changes. A week ago, I could not see my way forward; I wasn’t at the top of the hill yet.
It is useful to ask — Is there something in my way? Is something holding me back? What must happen for me to change my perspective or see things differently, and then take action?
Justin Spencer-Young
