The New Year creates some good opportunities for personal reflection and evaluation. Just like de-cluttering your space, every now and then you have to take a good look at your life and ask yourself how things are working for you. New circumstances call for new things from you. Some old and trusted habits fit and some don’t.
“Getting to the next level always requires ending something, leaving it behind, and moving on. Growth 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.”¹
Usually moving has prompted this good look at my things and my space, as well as my life. When you’re moving to a new location, all your routines, relationships and are upset. You are forced to change. But when you’ve been in one place for a while, without the necessity of deciding what to keep and what not to, you can end up with a lot of stuff just because there is no trigger event to make you sort it all out.
The same is true with your life. Your familiar routines that serve you well in one season could in fact become your enemy in the next. To make room for writing, I’d had to change my ideas & habits for how I use my discretionary time, both in the evenings and on the weekends. I had to make time to read, think and write.
The same is true for teams! We’re in a new season as a team. We’ve seen a lot of progress, but we’d love to see more! To do that, we need to let go of the past. Letting go of previous patterns or relationships is not easy. Creating new patterns or new relationships is also not easy. But both are essential if we want to grow in our effectiveness.
Philippians 3:13-14 says…
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus²
A colleague, Rev. Jeong, shared this thought yesterday. “Forgetting is not the same as not remembering. Forgetting (in this passage) means don’t be affected by what is behind, whether it is failure or success. We must press on..” We ended up having a great discussion about what to leave behind us, and what to press toward in 2013.
Take some time to think about your personal and team habits. How are they working for you? Are they working for you?
As you think about this new year, what new things are needed? What do you need to leave behind? maybe cut out? What will you press toward?
AB Reflections 
“Forgetting is not the same as not remembering….” That is really helpful when change seems like devaluing the old… We don’t have to forget… just not let our now be as affected by past routines, commitments, ways of doing things… helpful! Thanks, Andrea!
I love that insight. whether positive or negative, success or failure, pressing on means not letting that past influence you. To me, it was very freeing. thanks, Terry.
Andrea, this is very good post! Thank you for sharing!
thanks, Miheret. takes on fresh meaning in light of Pamoja, yes?
I love this and also the perspective on forgetting! Thank You!
thanks, Kim!
Getting to the next level always requires ending something, leaving it behind, and moving on. Growth demands that we move on. Some good thoughts!
yep! you see the principle all over the place. time to practice it! thanks, Steve.
The hardest thing for me is to forget the huge mistakes I have made – mistakes that have altered the course of my life and have affected others – people I love and respect. I am learning to see these things through Christ’s love and redemption, and His call on my life. Not even my weakness and sin can stop His ultimate destiny for me! That is comforting. Andrea – Thank you for sharing – great post.
I can relate, Vivien. as we were discussing this, some people focused on things undone, or failure, while others realize they need to lay aside achievements or significant progress. for me, I tend to latch on to the things undone. thanks for your comment, Vivien.
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