Have you ever stepped back into doing something that you used to do? Especially after a long period of time?
Isn't it funny how something that used to be so familiar can be unrecognizable or foreign.
It can feel alien, maybe even making you question: Did I really used to do this? Should I really be doing this now? Is this really helping me move forward?
Stepping back into an old hobby or vocation can in many ways feel like a step backwards. As if instead of moving forward through time, you are going the wrong way. Undoing the precious progress you've worked hard to achieve.
I feel this kind of inner pressure a lot these days. In many ways I'm stepping back into an old life after seemingly moving forward for so long. From returning to podcasting after a long hiatus. From having lived 9 years in the Northeast, to returning to my familiar South. From having worked as college instructor at Bridgewater State University, to being a student again at the University of Miami.
It is tempting to view a change of status like this as not moving forward, as a regression rather than a progression.
But, as always, I think it is a missed opportunity.
Because any time we step back into something, any time we return to something we've used do, it is of course going to bring us back to those familiar feelings.
And our human tendency to listen to our negativity bias is naturally going to keep or focus on the things that we view as bad, or less than ideal.
We hyper focus on our struggles, on that which challenges us and our egos.
And when we only listen to that voice, we miss the point.
Because there is no such thing as stepping back.
Time only ever moves forward. There is no future, only an eternal now.
Because when you return to something, you've grown. You've changed. You've leveled up.
Sure, you may be rusty. You may need sometime to adjust (probably more than what you are willing to admit, if you're like me).
But you are simply better than you were. You've experienced more life and you can probably see the world in a different way than you used to way back when.
So don't miss the opportunity to see how far you've come when you return to something.
Don't forget to see yourself and all the things you've done in the mean time.
Because a Return, is likely the beginning of the next great chapter.
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What do you think? Have you ever had to go back to something you hadn't done in a while? How did it make you feel?
Tell me in the comments below :)