English Reader

I'm sure you've heard the saying that, "When one door closes, another opens"

This saying is true, but it comes with a hidden catch …

The person in the picture above is faced with a closed door, but because he refuses to let go of the door in front of him, he cannot see that a new door has opened behind him.

Alexander Graham Bell summed this idea up well when he said:

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us”

- Alexander Graham Bell

What this means in the real world is that when we dwell on things that did not work out, we can often miss out on new opportunities that are waiting for us.

For example, imagine that you worked hard on a business deal only to find that things didn't work out the way you anticipated. If you continue to focus on the situation instead of letting it go, you may miss new business opportunities that are waiting for you.

Similarly, when a relationship ends, we can get so caught up in analyzing what went wrong that we can miss the opportunity to develop new relationships.

Of course letting go is easier said than done. When a door closes on part of our life it is natural to feel upset and disappointed.

As you overcome these feelings it is important to find the courage to let go of the closed door in order to find the new door that is waiting for you.

Action Steps:

The next time you are faced with a closed door:

(1) Give yourself time to recover and find your feet.

(2) Make the decision to let go of the closed door.

(3) Begin to look for the new door that will lead to the future that is waiting for you.