Change and Standing Still
This morning, as I read the paper, I was struck by these two paragraphs in Hillary Clinton's historic concession speech after her quest for the Presidency of the United States came to an end:
"When you hear people saying, or think to yourself, 'if only' or 'what if,' I say - please don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward...
Life is too short, time too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be."
While she was speaking of her own experience of losing the nomination, it was evident that there were incredible lessons in there for all of us.
How many times do we ask ourselves - "what if?"
How often do we spend our time looking back - not only dwelling on the past - but consumed by it? Life is truly too short to limit ourselves and the endless possibilities that exist for us by looking back and over-analyzing events - something I have always excelled at.
Just a few days ago, these related quotes came to me:
"When coasting in our comfort zones, we don't grow. We continue to do more of the same...
Maintaining a comfort zone can, paradoxically, lead to discomfort in the long run.
If by being comfortable we avoid important life issues, internal tension accumulates...
Eventually, as both internal and external pressures for change persist, the 'comfort zone' ceases to serve us."
- Eric Allenbaugh
"Be not afraid of changing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."
- Chinese Proverb
One of my favorites quotes by Emily Dickinson is framed at eye-level over my desk. It was a gift from a dear friend:
"Dwell in possibility..."
At the time that I received it, I could not have envisioned all the changes that have occurred in my life in the last three years. Some of these are beyond my wildest imaginings and are incredible blessings that could not have happened without the embrace of radical change.
We should always be willing to explore the seeds of possibility that constantly seek birthing through our choices and decisions. But let us not forget that in order to nurture these seeds, we must first be willing to let go of the past and its unforgiving grip.
"When you hear people saying, or think to yourself, 'if only' or 'what if,' I say - please don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward...
Life is too short, time too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be."
While she was speaking of her own experience of losing the nomination, it was evident that there were incredible lessons in there for all of us.
How many times do we ask ourselves - "what if?"
How often do we spend our time looking back - not only dwelling on the past - but consumed by it? Life is truly too short to limit ourselves and the endless possibilities that exist for us by looking back and over-analyzing events - something I have always excelled at.
Just a few days ago, these related quotes came to me:
"When coasting in our comfort zones, we don't grow. We continue to do more of the same...
Maintaining a comfort zone can, paradoxically, lead to discomfort in the long run.
If by being comfortable we avoid important life issues, internal tension accumulates...
Eventually, as both internal and external pressures for change persist, the 'comfort zone' ceases to serve us."
- Eric Allenbaugh
"Be not afraid of changing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."
- Chinese Proverb
One of my favorites quotes by Emily Dickinson is framed at eye-level over my desk. It was a gift from a dear friend:
"Dwell in possibility..."
At the time that I received it, I could not have envisioned all the changes that have occurred in my life in the last three years. Some of these are beyond my wildest imaginings and are incredible blessings that could not have happened without the embrace of radical change.
We should always be willing to explore the seeds of possibility that constantly seek birthing through our choices and decisions. But let us not forget that in order to nurture these seeds, we must first be willing to let go of the past and its unforgiving grip.
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