Let the Past Flow through Your Fingers...

I once held many thoughts as gold within my hands - more precious than the air that I breathed, watching my accomplishments shine - rivaling the sun with their brilliance…

I hid behind them – holding them up to the world – to hide my shortcomings and inadequacies.

While we all face distractions and disappointments throughout our lives, holding onto what “once was” rather than reaching out for “what could be” is a recipe for disaster.  Things once held as valuable slip from our grasp as we grow older.  A bright and shining future put on hold because of “global competition” (or even our reactions to a global pandemic).  A secure job ripped from us by the economy.  A relationship tarnished by an unanticipated action (or an uncontrolled reaction) when individuals involved are unwilling to forgive.  Life happens…how we react to it can either advance or stagnate our existence – can either propel us towards new heights or drag us down to inescapable depths.

I reached out blindly, searching desperately for and grasping onto what once was but shall never be again…

My memories become as but water running through my hands - unable to be contained as they flowed through my fingers…

My memories provided but a flickering light within my darkened world – a dim presence incapable of providing the fire that once filled me – a diminished warmth that could not provide comfort within my new reality.

We can become absorbed by “what used to be” rather than seeking out “what is” or “what could be” when we live in the past.  Far too many individuals seek comfort in the belief that they will “be called back to work shortly” rather than seeking a new beginning or that “things are bound to change” rather than initiating actions that will make change happen.  We destine ourselves to failure (along with those around us) when we establish our value within the things we once did that were successful rather than in what might be accomplished from this point forward – when we create our identity from “what we were” rather than “who we are,” from what others might believe us to be rather than what we might truly become if we only believed more in ourselves.  Seeking comfort in what once was may not be a fatal flaw – but finding shelter from our present reality within the confines of the past will prevent us from ever reaching our full potential.

Life has but birth as a beginning and death as an end - forcing us to travel upon the borders of an endless circle of circumstance as we seek meaning to the existence flowing through our fingers…

We must build upon (rather than clinging to) our accomplishments if we are to identify possibilities not yet realized…to realize dreams not yet imagined...

We must recognize the security our past once provided is gone as it flows through our hands like a river’s water into a never-ending sea as we focus upon the pool it forms rather than the place from which it has come...

Though our parents and grandparents may have found security within the four walls of one company or had one home their whole life, few of us will experience life without unexpected or unplanned change – with change being the only certainty in life.  We must prepare for change and plan on how we will deal with it rather than waiting for it to overtake us, forcing us to deal with the burden of unexpected transition.  People anticipating change intentionally set their course knowing that much time will pass and many considerations will flow through their fingers before one’s path has been paved or one’s future has been temporarily solidified. 

We must sail into the unknown horizon leading those willing to follow as we allow those not yet willing to let go of their past the opportunity to realize their potential…

We must open our hands to let go of all that has been so we have room within our grasp for what has yet to be or we shall never become more than what we have accomplished upon this earth we call home...

Since you cannot hold back the waters as they flow through your hands – hold onto the hope that your dreams provide.  Maximize the potential of that hope by preparing yourself to handle change as it enters your life.  Gain knowledge through lifelong education and training – then utilize it through intentional application.  Learn how to lead and motivate others so you can transform your individual actions into a group’s concerted activity to maximize results.  Most importantly, act intentionally (rather than waiting passively for others to act) so you can make a difference in your life and become a major part of life’s differences in the world around you (rather than dust carried about aimlessly by the wind).  If one seeks the future it will be found – but only if he or she is not grasping so tightly to the past that there is no room in their current (or emerging) reality in which that which has yet to be realized can take root and thrive.  Allow the past to flow through your fingers so that your hands – reaching out to bring reality to your thoughts and dreams – can take the intentional action necessary for your future to grow.