Click below to listen to commentary on this article. 👇🏾
Click below to listen to the poem, “Old Keys Can’t Open New Doors.” 👇🏾
Too Many Keys!
I often joke with my husband because he seems to have a million keys on his keychain! Many of the doors that these keys used to open are long gone into the past. I always tell him that he should lighten the load. It would help him find the useful keys quicker and it would probably help his back too.
I too have a few extra keys on my key ring ( Not as many as him though 🤣😂) and occasionally I will mistakenly stick the wrong key in the door. Of course, we all know what happens…NOTHING!
Old Keys, New Doors
This scenario is an analogy of how many of us go about our lives. We rely on old attitudes, old behaviors, and old mindsets to propel us to new places. It just won’t work.
Someone on social media said something that stuck with me. They said, “Your new life will cost you your old one.” This resonated with me because I have been guilty of relying on the past Leeann to get me to new and better places.
Whether your challenge is losing weight, ending a toxic relationship, creating a new or getting rid of an old habit, you have to realize that you cannot keep the same behaviors or attitudes that put you in poor situations to get you out of those situations.
Get Rid of Dead Weight
Keeping your “old keys” can be a hindrance to your progress. They slow you down. You backslide, feel regret, and then have to work to get back on track. The problem is that we hold regret in our minds (another old key) and we end up self-sabotaging our efforts with negative thoughts and self-talk. See my post: 5 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself from Negative Self Talk. Eventually, many of us will give up, and continue with our old behaviors and old lives.
Your old “keys” must be discarded to make room for the new ones. It can be challenging to change these things because you are essentially changing things that are ingrained in your identity. It takes work, but it can be done.
Seeking mentors online and in person is one strategy to find people who carry the traits you desire. Finding accountability partners and groups in which you can check in and share your progress is also helpful.
Change is Worth it!
Whatever you do, don’t give up! You have made the decision to change because your conscious is telling you that there is something else better waiting for you. Ask yourself where you want to be in 1, 3, and 5 years. Prune the “keys” that no longer serve you. Lighten the load and make room for your new life. In 5 years, you will be thankful!
You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself!🫶🏾
