Letting go of the past and falling into the future

It is easy to sit back and rest on your laurels. It is easy to tell yourself that you’re in a place where you’re just “old” and set in your ways. It is easy to tell yourself that you are done and you don’t need to go any further. I think it is much harder to truly examine where you are in your life, what got you here, acknowledge the behaviors that have impeded your ability to go farther, and to tell yourself to get up off your ass and get into the game.

I really started to believe that I was done. “I’m tired”, I would say. “I’ve been doing this for so long and just don’t have the drive and motivation to keep doing this.” And while that may be true, it doesn’t mean that I am truly done. Perhaps it is not about trying to build my future in the place where I am. Perhaps it is time for me to set a new direction and build my future in a place where I want to be.

But am I too “old” for that? Have I been in the game so long that there is no other game that I can play? If I were a sports player, perhaps that might be the case. My knees might be bad, my throwing arm may have given out, or my speed may falter. My brain, however hasn’t stopped working. I can still think, learn, and grow. Why not look in another direction and learn something new. Why not chart a new path forward rather than just sitting idly by.

I can still celebrate and applaud the work that I’ve done up to this point. Just because I’ve reached a certain plateau here that I no longer wish to ascend from, doesn’t mean there isn’t another mountain for me to climb. I’m going to continue to excel where I am and show what I can do, demonstrate the value I bring. But I’m also making my plan, charting a new course, getting things in place to change direction. I will not go quietly into the night. I’m going to stand up straight and tall and roar.

As the leaves turn and fall, they are feeding the earth and making way for the new seeds to grow in the spring. As much as we may look at Fall as a time of death and demise, it is actually a time of renewal. The changing colors from green to orange, yellow and red. The dormancy that will come with the Winter will give the Earth time to rest and rejuvenate. All in preparation for the newness of Spring. So, in honor of this cycle, I am going to Fall into my future. While I rejoice in the experiences I’ve had, I am letting go of the past so that I can fully embrace my future.