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Can you feel the energy of the new year calling you to prepare for the launch into 365 days of great possibilities for positive change? Much like spirited race horses many of us line up at the starting gate of 2010 with unbridled enthusiasm, ready for the sprint to the finish line just twelve short months from now, hoping to achieve significant and wonderful changes in our lives. For many of us it all begins with making a New Year's resolution, often centering on changing or enhancing our diet, relationships, material status, or physical health and wellbeing. I must admit, however, I gave up declaring resolutions a good number of years ago because I came to the conclusion that they generally go in one year and out the other.
I discovered that when I made a New Year resolution it usually boiled down to a battle between my ego and my good intentions, with sheer willpower being the weapon of choice. While I always started with an enthusiastic burst out of the gate (just like the hare in Aesop's Fable) I would most often fade far before I reached the homestretch, falling short of fulfilling my resolution, because I ran out of enthusiasm, or, my interest was simply derailed by a short attention span. In the fable the hare stopped to take a nap. In other words his ego got in the way and he took his eyes off his intention. When all is said and done my resolutions didn't come to fruition because I failed to pay attention to my intention long enough to see the results. Ultimately I came to realize that willpower generally won't win in the end because it is short lived, difficult to maintain and its motivation is based on the quick fix or instant gratification as the reward.
This is why there is so much wisdom in the saying, Slow and steady wins the race. This sentiment from Aesop's Fable about the tortoise and hare is a metaphor we all understand: It's not the speed, flashiness or intensity by means of which we approach any of our desired goals--it's our commitment to be consistent, persistent and patient, with the clear intention to arrive at our destination that gets us there.
I would like to offer three simple suggestions that might be helpful in assuring your successful arrival at the finish line of your highest intention for 2010. (1) Be gentle with yourself when you fall down (or backslide). The practice is not to beat yourself up; it's to get back up and continue moving in the direction you wish to go. (2) Pace yourself with some form of measurable results such as a daily journal to log your progress, celebrating certain earmark accomplishments along the way. (3) DON'T share your goals with the trolls, meaning those who will try to undermine your success. DO however, invite a trusted friend, counselor, or mentor, etc., to lovingly hold you accountable and be your faithful cheerleader.
Most importantly, always remember you are never alone--there is a Power far greater than you that resides within you. Know that It sustains you and loves you irrespective of when and even if you cross the finish line. To this end Winston Churchill wrote, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." May 2010 be the year that you intend it to be, and may you find the courage to stay the course leading to the fulfillment of your own heart's greatest desires, remembering always, that slow and steady wins the race.
Peace,
Dennis Merritt Jones
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