Looking at Life and Making a Change

There is a saying, turn over a new leaf, and for most of my life it has been lost on me what the power of that saying is.

But when you take time to look at it, realise what it actually means and give in to it. Then it quickly becomes apparent to me that this is something that needs to be done on a cyclical basis.

Turning over a new leaf is a phrase of turn meaning to act or behave in a different manner that which you have done so before.

To me, it means that everything has to change, and it is in changing that you can bring positive order to your life. As we grow we develop, both mentally and physically; whereas once you would have enjoyed a certain point of view, events in your life or the world around you make that opinion adapt and evolve into something fuller or different.  To be unwilling to open your mind and take in different aspects of the world would indicate to me that you are stuck, and if you are stuck then you are not moving forward.

In fact, you are not moving anywhere.

 

Sometimes trudging through life can feel like wading through quicksand, and each step that you take is more difficult than the last. As you continue on the journey, and the path gets ever harder, you wonder if it worthwhile, and begin to question your motives. So what do you do? Plough on regardless? Look back at where you have come from and consider returning? Or, is this a good opportunity to ask yourself some questions, take a look at the map, and consider alternative directions?

Everything has to change. There is no straight forward answer to anything. Just think about how many times your thinking has to change in a single day as you subconsciously adapt to the environment around you. The number is enormous, whether it be your drive into work, or your decision over what to eat for lunch, or perhaps something like what you wish to write about when it comes to sitting at a computer and typing.

I had no intention when I sat to write this to come up with a scenario about change, I wanted to write about something mystical and magical; but the phrase ‘turn over a new leaf’ popped into my head and this is where it has led me, 405 words later.

Perhaps I am in a transitionary period and this means something to me. It is worth acknowledging to the failings and successes of life as you go along. If something that you are doing in your life is not working to your advantage, then perhaps it is time to change it in one way or another.

Transitions are scary, and sets you off on a path that is initially unknown. But, soon you will begin to recognise the landscape as you journey on and realise that this is not the means to an end, but the beginning of a new part of your life.

Another saying, this time ascribed to T.S. Eliot, goes: it is not the destination, but the journey that really matters.