Happy New Year!
Most people who know me know that I’m a sentimental guy. I like the pomp and circumstance of special occasions. At the end of 2007, I even coerced my twin brother, who hates pomp and circumstance, into traveling from New York to Indiana to attend my PhD graduation in the snow and icy rain.
But for some reason, I feel differently this year. Truth is, there’s no difference between December 31 and January 1, other than people’s pledge—the famous New Year’s Resolution—to somehow be different or better. Other animals don’t know the difference. To my cat, Boomerang, it’s just another day. He has no concept of New Year’s Eve. All he cares about is being fed and loved.
So I’ve decided to act like other animals this year and not mark the date like human animals like to do. Because it really is just another day. We should strive to be better every day, not just on January 1.
As most of you know, I look at the world through the eyes of a runner. Running is about how much we can put ourselves on the line, literally and figuratively, to measure up against our true selves and shorten the distance between who we are and who we want to be. It is the subject of my book that hits bookstores on April 5 — The Inner Runner. The book is just as much about life as it is about running. (Feel free to pre-order a copy for yourself or someone special in your life: http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Runner-Successful-Creative-Confident/dp/1634507959 or pre-order a signed copy at http://run-fit.com/products).
Runners, truth be told, are very sensitive people. We feel things deeply. We are toughened by the effort we put forth, by the emotional investment we make, and we care about the outcome. We put our hearts into what we do.
And so as we complete yet another year of our lives and run into 2016, I hope you’ll join me in putting your heart into what you do. Because that — not the date on the
calendar — is what really matters.
Happy New Year. May the run be with you.
Coach Jason