Don’s Diary
(Moving On & Letting Go..)
It is probably already a bit late in
the year to be making the classic New Year’s Resolution to achieve particular
objectives but it is never too late to review where we are at in our journey
through life and reset your course. It
needs to be done all the time.
We all will have made mistakes and
failed in important relationships. These
factors and circumstances beyond our control will require us to reset our
direction and priorities. The phrases
“move on” or “let go” to deal with these circumstances are now more in vogue
than in the past. They can be annoying
when used when one is searching for an answer or demanding accountability. However it can reflect a positive, optimistic
attitude to life. It is never too late
to make a resolution about these matters.
It is quite likely that we will have
accumulated “baggage”, I mean unhealthy attitudes, prejudices and biases about
particular issues or people, and the consequences of bad past decisions which
will distract us from getting the full enjoyment from life and providing
assistance to others. You need to “let
go” and “move on” and discard this “baggage” but this takes a conscious decision. “Letting go” can sometimes be one of the
hardest things to do but having done so it can be enormously liberating
enabling you to live a full and happy live.
It takes courage to “let go” of the familiar. We are not here to live life as a rehearsal
and our past does not necessarily equate to our future. “To let
go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clinging
and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.” (Anthony Robbins b.
1960)
As I get older I have become less and
less tolerant of those few who lack integrity and I turn my back on them as
soon as possible. If some offence is
taken a simple act of contrition saying sorry and a request to “move on” is
usually enough to resolve the issue.
Potentially controversial subjects should be avoided but if there a
sticking point on an issue all that is usually needed is a statement such as
“well we will need to recognise that we have different views on this matter so
let’s ‘move on’ ” – this is better than an argument. If a discussion in the resolution on an issue
becomes complex or convoluted all that is usually needed is to say is “Let’s go
back to our objective and then ‘move on’ ”.
It is important when you “move on”
that you do not move away from those near and dear to you: “move on” but do not
move apart. I like to “move on” within a
predetermined but not a rigid strategy.
Remember, “The best skill at cards
is knowing when to discard.”– (Baltasar Gracián y Morales, SJ, better known
as Baltasar Gracián, Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher.
1601-1658.)
An ability to “let go” and to “move
on” is essential for harmony in a Lodge.
Yours fraternally,
Don