“Sometimes, you have to give up to move up”

While listening to the Career Advice episode of The Minimalist podcast, one of the hosts threw out a quotable phrase that stopped me from what I was doing (and compelled me to write it here and share it with you):

Because there have been so many instances in our lives that the baggage we carry keeps us from growing out of the old and embracing the new. The familiarity of what we’ve surrounded ourselves with makes us feel safe, and safe is good. The unknown makes us afraid because the unknown might hurt us, so we simply stay put where we are. 

The old way of doing things is safe, and safe is good.

Yet, there are moments when we must break out from the rut we’ve dragged ourselves into and start new things. Because the tension of creating things new keeps our minds from wasting away.

However, it requires us to be brave to take one step into the unknown, poking through edges and exploring what’s possible. Often, our ability to imagine is what keeps us from becoming better.