“For there to be anything new, old things always have to end, and we have to let go of them.”

A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, Necessary Endings (p. 6).

HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

And that can be very difficult, but so very necessary?

Henry says, “Infancy gives rise to toddlerhood, and must be forever shunned in order to get to the independence that allows a child to thrive. Later, childhood itself must be given up for people to become the adults that they were designed to be.

“Getting to the next level always requires ending something, leaving it behind, and moving on. Growth itself demands that we move on. Without the ability to end things, people stay stuck, never becoming who they are meant to be, never accomplishing all that their talents and abilities should afford them.”

He continues, “Some endings are not a next natural step but are just as necessary. We wish they weren’t, but they are. They come about not in pursuit of growth to the next level, but because something has gone wrong. It’s been said that some things die and some things need to be killed.”

He then says, “In the personal realm, we can get stuck in situations or relationships that are hurtful, problematic, or toxic and must be ended. Or sometimes it is not relationships we need to end but behaviors—destructive patterns and practices that hold us back. In many contexts, until we let go of what is not good, we will never find something that is good. The lesson: good cannot begin until bad ends.”

He later says, “Endings are a part of every aspect of life. When done well, the seasons of life are negotiated, and the proper endings lead to the end of pain, greater growth, personal and business goals reached, and better lives. Endings bring hope.

“When done poorly, bad outcomes happen, good opportunities are lost, and misery either remains or is repeated. So let’s get empowered to choose the necessary endings, execute them well, and get to the better results we all desire.”

This may be a good time for us to really be honest and then to be empowered to choose the necessary endings for better results in our lives.  So, let's do that, okay? 

Yes, yes!