Are You Holding onto Old, Worn-out Ideas About Yourself?

Have you ever gone through period where you’ve been possessed by a mood of dissatisfaction and restlessness, even though many aspects of your life are “just fine, thank you”? You wonder, “what’s this about?”, you let a little time pass, and gradually the mood dissipates like waves on the shore receding back into the ocean… but some time later, it happens again.

Truth is, everything evolves. Nothing ever really remains the same. Cut the grass on Saturday and by Thursday it needs cutting again. Use your favorite knife in the kitchen and gradually it gets dull. The knife requires sharpening, which is a process of removing a bit of metal from the blade and creating a new, sharper edge.

It’s important to note that sharpening the blade requires losing a bit of the metal in the blade…

Your mood of dissatisfaction & restlessness…you may be getting a message from within about your need to evolve in life.

…..That job in which you’ve been underpaid and underutilized for years…perhaps it’s time to speak up instead of just waiting and hoping the bosses will notice your good work.

…..That relationship which, although comfortable to some degree, is really going nowhere and you’d like it to blossom into something more dynamic and significant – maybe it’s time to sit down with your partner and discuss “where we’re going and what I’d like to have happen between us”.

…..The next morning after a night of too much partying when you sit for a moment and ask yourself “how long can I keep doing this?”, while you watch your friends and associates move forward in life and accept new challenges, and they’re not hanging out with you the way they used to.

We all tend to think of ourselves as we used to be, not necessarily as we are now. We’re familiar with that person, we know how to relate to him. But is that image of ourselves really up-to-date with current reality? Ever have anyone mention your hair is a bit gray or receding and your response is “really?”, or has anyone complimented your track record at work and noted all the achievements you’ve made, and you find yourself thinking “wow, I guess I really did do all that…I’ll have to remember that!”. You see, we’re often more easily in touch with what was; not what is. We so often identify ourselves with our past, and not enough with our present.

A fellow I know well owned a motorcycle and kept it for years, finally selling it when his first child was born. He told me he could no longer afford the possibility of getting injured in a crash now that he was a parent. It was not easy for him to sell that motorcycle, but he took the money and bought a family car. It was in part a symbolic gesture of letting go and maturing as well as providing reasonable transportation for his family. You see, in order to move into the now, he had to let go of the old. Yeah, you guessed it…that guy was me.

So, the next time you feel that tug, that nudge of restlessness, ask yourself “am I being called to let go of something, some image of myself, some endeavor I’m involved in that’s just not working anymore?” If so, consider what it might be, because the last thing you want to do is stay in an old identification of yourself that’s worn out and really doesn’t work for you anymore.