Change.
Starting fresh.
Moving forward.
Thinking outside the box.
Forgiving and forgetting.
Moving on.
All things we aspire to do, yet all things we struggle with. As much as today’s society embraces change and what’s new, it’s funny to see how difficult it is for people to stop clinging to the past. And they do it without even realizing it.
To be fair, it is easier to cling to the past. People ‘look back’ or ‘live in the past’ because it’s the familiar and it’s what they know. Whether the outcome was good or bad, we know what happened when it comes to the past. It’s much harder to cling to the unknown. I’ve witnessed people who can’t seem to shake their preoccupation with incidents that happened many years ago and seem to let it infect their outlook on life. In the workplace, someone may hold certain expectations for how things are supposed to be, preventing them from opening their eyes and realizing that there may be a different way of doing things. The latter may seem innocuous, but it can be more damaging than one may realize.
While reflection is always healthy, it’s important that we not let it rule our lives. Look back if you must. But not for too long. There’s a whole world out there waiting for you.
