New beginnings can be
invigorating. Just as a fresh blanket of snow
changes the landscape into “unmarked territory,” calling out to little
explorers with their sleds and snow boots, blank pages of a new
calendar can give us a sense of opportunity, possibility, and even
resolve. Whether beginning a new day, month, or even year,
something
about starting over generates energy and commitment. We work a
little
harder, reach a little farther, and somehow do a little more.
What may
have seemed out of reach just days before suddenly enters the realm of
possibility when a new year comes.
Not long ago, a group of school children gathered
for a long jump
competition. They marked a line in the dirt from which they stood
and
jumped. Their teacher used a stick to mark where their feet
landed as
each child took a turn jumping as far as he or she could.
Interestingly, most of the children jumped to about the same spot,
until a new group of children (their same age and size) joined the
game. As soon as one of the new jumpers leaped a little farther,
the
other children started increasing their own jumps to reach the mark he
had set. Anytime someone exceeded the longest distance, everyone
seemed
to be able to jump a little farther than before.
And so it is for us as we set goals and work to
achieve them. If
we set our sights even a little bit higher, do just a little more than
we did before, we'll exceed last year's marks — and maybe even next
year's expectations. Think of those school children and the long
jump.
They could do more than they thought they could, and so can we.
Instead
of leaping as far as we always have, let's stretch a little and try a
little harder as we look to the new year.
