.png)
Everything comes to an end we know that yet, we don't accept it. Humans don't like the idea of completion when it is associated with an ending. We often label them as failures.
We say Kodak had failed because it went bust. That's not how I look at it. Kodak was extremely successful and served its purpose at the time. That was its time and the completion was done. Without them maybe we wouldn't have the cameras we have today. They have added so much to our lives, how can it be a failure?
In my previous article, I wrote about resilience and my strategy but I skipped this strategy (closely linked to my other strategy). I look at everything as serving its purpose and letting it go when it no longer does. Intimate relationships, friendships, jobs, careers, living in a city, moving, life etc. Everything serves its purpose for a while and only a very few things and people stay with us until we die and I am very comfortable with this idea.
I know that most of my friends will walk with me for a few years only and then we will say goodbye. I think it is beautiful! I always view it from the outside. I am standing at a road (not necessarily a crossroad) imagining hugging my friend and saying "Well, that's how far we walk together. It was fun and even educational. All the best!" And I continue walking maybe on the same road and my friend is staying. During the walk, I will pick up new friends but it is possible that I have to walk a few miles alone before that happens. I love my company so it's fine.
I look at relationships like that too. We walked together for 12 years and had a pretty good time. Now off we go because this relationship served its purpose (whatever that may be) and is complete.
I am not staying in a job just because it has been my career for 19 years. If I am no longer enjoying it it means it served its purpose and now it's time to move. It is not quitting, failure, or ending. It is completed. That career has been completed. Let that go otherwise you will be stuck and stuck people are not resilient because resilience is about movement. Nature is about movement and Mother Nature is extremely resilient. Take your learning and use that to move forward.
The other day I was talking to my friend because she hates the idea that I am very comfortable with death. She is terrified and I don't get that. During this conversation, I said that if I got a terminal illness diagnosis I would sell everything and I would be in Antarctica, the South Pole, and the Galapagos the following week. I don't think I would be spending time fighting the disease or sitting around and thinking about it. I would be like okay, that's my time. Maybe I am wrong and I would only know if that happened. What I know is that I am very good with completion. Last time during my adventures I got into a sticky situation almost falling to my death and the thought ran through my head "So, this is how far I get to walk." The thought made me move and eventually, I am still here LOL
Everything in life has its expiry date or completion cycle and when we deny or reject that idea we get stuck and suffer too. Ask yourself the question, has this job, friendship, marriage, house, clothes, belief, idea, decision, TV etc. served its purpose? If the answer is yes, be thankful and let it go so you can continue walking. I watch people dreaming about moving and they never move instead they cry on TikTok about how miserable their lives are. It is not about fear or anything like that. It is about not understanding that you feel this way because you don't understand that the life you have now is completed. Now move!
PS: I think my gran taught me this when my great-gran died and she said, "People die, we cry a little and we say goodbye. She had a good run. And no, you are 11 and children have no place at funerals so you go to school and I go and say goodbye to her on behalf of you." I went to school, she went to the funeral and we never talked about her ever again. She died at 94. And when my friend died in a car accident when we were 19 and gran said "He is now at peace, that's ok." She basically told me that it was not a tragedy but a completion. This is how far he got to walk. I cried and she comforted me. There was no fuss, it was peaceful. I said goodbye at his funeral and that was the last time I cried about him. I mostly smiled each time I thought of him because he was silly.
PPS: I just said goodbye to a friend yesterday. We had a cracking 5 years together.
How to think about leadership and corporate practices differently?
Here are more of this type of article. Enjoy!:
Or watch why not to hire for attitude:
Comments