{"id":1115,"date":"2023-07-26T16:44:47","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T16:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elainevickers.com\/?p=1115"},"modified":"2023-07-26T17:29:58","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T17:29:58","slug":"tallying-the-tailwinds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elainevickers.com\/blog\/tallying-the-tailwinds\/","title":{"rendered":"Tallying the Tailwinds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I come from a family of runners and writers. Both pursuits can be difficult and, at times, discouraging. My brother and I were talking about running recently and laughing about the fact that he\u2019d run the same route every morning for months, always thinking, \u201cI have the worst luck. The wind always picks up when I turn back for home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were laughing because of course, this wasn\u2019t true. The wind was there all along. But he wasn\u2019t aware of it when it was pushing him gently along, helping him toward his goal. As runners, we\u2019re aware of our tailwinds for a minute or two, and then we simply don\u2019t notice them. Headwinds, however, are nearly always in our thoughts because they\u2019re quite literally in our faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, this isn\u2019t an experience unique to running, and certainly not to my brother. In all aspects of life, we are more likely to notice the forces working against us than those working for us. Not because we are negative or pessimists, but because the obstacles are the very things we\u2019re trying to overcome, and therefore they have our attention. The things that are helping us along don\u2019t require our attention and therefore don\u2019t receive it to nearly the same degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In psychology, this is known as the Headwinds\/Tailwinds Asymmetry. Tom Gilovich of Cornell University has studied this phenomenon for years, sharing his results in scholarly articles<\/a> as well as this highly accessible podcast interview<\/a>. It\u2019s a phenomenon that shows up across the human experience, in areas from sports to politics to family matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conjunction with this research, Gilovich also references the fact that who actively practice gratitude\u2014which is, in essence, the act of acknowledging and appreciating your tailwinds\u2014are happier and healthier. Those who don\u2019t are more likely to not only focus on their headwinds\u2014the obstacles in their way\u2014but to succumb to greed and envy, two feelings that are essentially the opposites of gratitude. As you might guess, this does not result in happier, healthier outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s return, then, to writing. It\u2019s easy to focus on the (valid) writing is difficult for you and on the obstacles you\u2019ve faced and are facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But have you tallied your tailwinds lately? Ever? Your list might include some of these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n