Upon the farewell, I could see emotion in his eyes. Clearly, he knew he had moved on to a new place in life. I was emotional too. This forward movement represented a positive, natural step of any young person who embarks on their independence, yet there was the acknowledgement that a good chapter was ending, essentially the childhood chapter of family life. It was a bittersweet moment.
Moving on in any situation includes lots of emotion. If you're moving from a bad experience to a good one, there is a sense of relief. If you're moving from one good situation to another, there is that bittersweet feeling of loss and excitement at the same time.
How do we move on with grace and positivity? What do we do?
Acknowledge the past
There is a need to reflect on the past as you move on. There's a need to acknowledge both the good and not-so-good of the chapter you are leaving. What are you proud of? What would you do the same and what would you do differently? What attitudes, experiences, and knowledge will you bring ahead, and what will you leave behind? To acknowledge the past with good reflection is to make way for the new. As an educator moving from a 34-year teaching career to new endeavor, I am proud of the career I had. While not perfect, there was a lots of good work and good achievement during those 34 years. I'll leave behind some of the lifeways related to difficult lessons I learned, but I'll bring the learning forward. Over 34 years you learn a lot as you shed old ways and embrace new ways. You also bring forth the lessons you learned from so many good colleagues, students, families, and leaders, and you leave behind the poor advice and leadership you may have experienced too.
For me, I'm bringing forward the good lessons of collaboration, vision setting, goal setting/achievement, lifelong learning, creativity, and reflection.
Focusing on the present and future
To move on, you need to focus on the present and future, and leave the past behind with all of its good and not-so-good events. As I look ahead, I have a number of goals to work towards and experiences to engage in. The starting point lacks the structure I'm accustom to, but that's okay as my goals demand less formality and rigidness as well as greater freedom and time. There is a clear vision and now the challenge is to work towards that ideal.
Moving on, in the best of circumstances, is a bittersweet experience--one that helps to make life interesting and meaningful. Onward.