Tag Archives: moving on

All things must pass

Working out of my home these days, like millions of others around the world, I have the opportunity to listen to some tunes more often during the day than I would otherwise.

Back in the nineteen-eighties, I read a psychology study focused on determining the impacts of listening to music while studying.  The results demonstrated measurable improvement in test results by those who tried this.  So I don’t feel guilty, heck I am improving my productivity.

George Harrison

One of the songs on my playlist was “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison, former Beatle and successful solo artist during the seventies and eighties.

The sentiment is simple but so accurate  in the current pandemic environment, it really resonated with me.  This may seem like a period of heightened uncertainty but when you think about it, this too must pass.

A pretty pragmatic way of thinking, not overly optimistic but patently accurate.  What I like about it is the subtle message, not that all things will pass but rather “must” pass.

Will or Must

It is a subtle difference but things that will happen in the future are inevitable while things that must happen have an obligatory element but is more along the lines of “should” then inevitability.

In the context of the pandemic, it certainly should pass, but is it for sure and when will it happen? The human race must overcome this virulent disease and based on past experience, we will.

I am not overly concerned, risk conscious yes, but I am of course this must pass.

 

Constant Change

In the past I have posted about the constancy of change.  It is unavoidable.  One second of life contains changes albeit small and perhaps not quantifiable, something occurs in every moment. 

Quantifiable change may occur with a small frequency and the pace of definable changes varies by individual, however, one piece of wisdom is always true. 

Embrace the Change

Embracing change is the most likely path to greatness.  Ignoring or even worse resisting the change usually has poor outcomes.  In some cases ignoring or resisting can minimize the impact on you but this is not necessarily a good outcome.

Letting the change pass by without hopping on board my not harm you but the opportunity for achievement is likely lost.  Embracing the concept of change, it will occur and resistance is futile, allows you some element of control. 

Carpe Diem

Taking a little license with the latin phrase which translates to  “seize the day”  I would recommend we seize the opportunity for change, make it our own and use it to better ourselves.  

We are embedded in the constant stream of change that is occurring both around us and directly impacting us.  Often though,  we don’t notice the volume of changes except when we pause and consider the past.  

Increasing your conscious awareness of the creeping changes around you gives you an opportunity to leverage them to your advantage.  Additionally you can integrate your own changes into the flow.  

So, seize the moment, make the change

Disappointment

Sometimes we feel thwarted because our hopes, desires or expectations are not achieved.  The outcomes fall short of where you wanted them to be. 

Disappointment is all about personal perspective.  The situations that disappoint are as much about you perceiving poor results as the poor results themselves.

Optimism

Expecting the best outcome can be optimistic and not always realistic, accepting the outcome as the best might not be realistic but it will avoid disappointment.

Reaching for prefered outcomes, believing they are possible is a form of optimism; however don’t let your optimism become a driver of disappointment. 

Moving On

Disappointment can lead to disengaement and reduce your motivation to make things better.  Disappointment is real but should not be allowed to interfer with moving on.

Acknowledging disappointment even sharing it with others can be theraputic but it should focus on acceptance or planning how to resolve things to meet your expectations.

Of course lowering your expectations to match the outcomes is one way of resolving disappointment, that is not what I am suggesting.

Letting your disappointment fester like a wound is much worse, so acceptance is more about getting to a place you can live with the outcomes. 

Manage your Expectations

The core action for avoiding disappointment is to manage your expectations.  That is not to say you shouldn’t set the bar high, rather recognize how realistic your desires are and temper your expectations accordingly.

This does not mean you will never be disappointed, but instead your reaction will be positive, healthy and lead to something better.