“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.”
~Tom Stoppard

I think, in general, that many of us don’t like when things end. The end of a movie we’re enjoying. The end of a book we’re engrossed in. The end of a job, a project, a relationship.

We don’t like when things end.

But, in retrospect, many endings turn out to be positive. I know too many people who were fired only to go on to get a great new job or to create an amazing – and prior to that moment unthinkable – new career. I’ve seen relationships end…and those endings have made way for better and stronger relationships (sometimes even with the same people, but with new understandings). I’ve had clients who have felt that their reputations – or their careers – have been ruined by one misstep or one misunderstanding…only to see them move on to a place of greater insight and Thoughtful leadership – and often a better job. (I don’t have many helpful thoughts on the ending of a book or a movie, other than to say that there are probably more books and movies that you’ll enjoy.)

It’s hard to remember though, as the door closes, that another door will open. It’s hard to remember that an exit – when we leave something or when someone or something leaves us – is an entry to something new.

But that is the nature of doorways.

I still believe that it can be helpful – and necessary – to mourn the closing of a door or the end of a job or a relationship. But I also believe that when we can remember that by standing in an exit, we’re also standing in an entry, we open ourselves up to new opportunities. New perspectives. New inspiration. New thought patterns. New projects. New friends. New jobs.

We may not like when things end – or when we exit – but that is part of life and leadership. A huge part of life and leadership. And when we can shift our outlook and see not just the closing but also the opening – the possibilities – we open ourselves to what’s next.

How have exits been entries for you?
Please leave a comment.

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For help with a new perspective, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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