We all enjoy reminiscing about the past and it can bring much comfort especially when things are so uncertain. Indeed the past can contain many useful pearls of wisdom if we have the ability to stand in an objective space and harvest the value. There are, however, risks with being reliant on the past.
By its very nature the past is an accumulation of knowledge, experiences and practise that enables us to build in pathways of efficiency, ease and comfort to our lives. Whether it’s being able to rely on unconscious competence in driving a car or how we do our work, or the fact that having faced similar situations before we no longer feel disturbed, anxious or flummoxed when the same challenge arises, even in a different form.
Used wisely, our relationship with the past provides us with the space and capacity, through efficiency, to entertain the new, even move into a more creative space. However, if we rely too heavily on the past in whatever guise it can become a prison. It can close in around us, holding us in stuck and crystallised forms – thoughts, actions and beliefs – in a way that prevent us from responding and creating in an agile and open way in the present moment.
If we are to build better for the future, as leaders we must really open our eyes to what is happening now and, applying the rules of discernment and right measurement, establish how much of the past is still useful. Finding the true pearls of wisdom that survive the test of time and which can be utilised as part of the creative mix for the new.
The seemingly safe harbour of the past is a mirage. Building toward a better future requires the courage to harvest the wisdom and keep moving forward knowing that each new pathway relies on the spirit of invention, faith and love.