There is always an undercurrent of excitement that accompanies something new: new home, new job, new… It’s what I call the clean slate promise. At this point, nothing has been written, there’s no predetermination of what will happen – it’s all new. And new, while it can be slightly anxiety ridden, is always exciting. New opportunities always hold the promises of the possibility to shine – to do/be something ‘better’ than the last time, to build on what was.
The flip side to this is the loss of what was known. There is the lingering nostalgia for what was – the comfort of the familiar. And it is at this point that we all remember that beginnings are hard. They can be awkward because we are now in unfamiliar territory. We don’t know anything or anyone.
Just as you can’t drag yesterday into today, you can’t drag what was into what is. There may be aspects that ‘fit’ but you won’t know that initially. In every new situation the order of the day should be analysis – what are the expectations, what are the promises, what are the obstacles. And this analysis should accompany every new situation regardless of what ‘it’ is.
Beginning can be hard but they don’t need to be terrifying. The opportunities to meet new people, make new friends, and no one said you had to throw the baby out with the bathwater (eliminating old friends) can become a time for your own growth in a new environment.
Remember that the old can be a bridge to your new… just don’t let it be an anchor.
