top of page

The Danger Of Nostalgia: How To Stop Looking Back And Embrace Professional Growth

Writer's picture: Scott MasonScott Mason


As we get older and build up life experiences, more and more opportunities arise to reminisce about the past. Who doesn’t daydream about bygone days when the autumn rolls around and the year approaches its end?  Even if the seasonal change itself didn’t trigger nostalgia, Thanksgiving and the annual look-backs -- both personal and business -- occurring during the last week of the year all but force us into backward-thinking mindsets, often for the better … but sometimes for the worse.


Losing the Future for the Sake of the Past


I had the honor in April of giving a talk about charisma at TEDx Apex. I described how the mythical hero Orpheus went to retrieve the love of his life, Eurydice, from Hades. Orpheus made the fatal mistake of ignoring instructions to keep looking forward -- to focus on the future -- when leading her out of the Underworld. Instead, he gazed back as he led them both away. By turning his attention away from where he was going, he lost everything. (You can view the full talk and story HERE, and on my YouTube channel HERE.)


How do we distinguish between harmless reminiscing and having an unhealthy fixation on the past? Treasuring fond memories is different from focusing on what might have been, especially when what might not have been is conveniently forgotten.


I learned this the hard way. I once contracted with a corporate client to perform work that both played to my strengths and was deeply fulfilling. It was initially a very mutually productive and rewarding relationship. I loved the work, and looked forward to and relished every aspect of it.


The company’s trajectory was initially strong, and, as it moved forward, more work was promised, with expanded breadth and much greater opportunity to come. I felt like another Greek hero, Bellerophon, triumphantly riding the winged horse Pegasus to my own version of a professional Mt. Olympus.


Then, momentum slowed down. I patiently waited as numerous operational and other challenges emerged, continuing my commitment to the company, its mission, and the inspiring people it had brought into my life. This went on for months until I accepted that the Fates had only willed the role to last for a season. I amicably moved on.



The Beauty of Closed Doors


At first I was demoralized that my dream had not come to fruition. Eurydice was not coming back home.  I obsessed over the good times that had ended, the future that I thought I had lost, the opportunities that would never come to be.

But, thanks to the words of a very wise friend, I eventually had an epiphany.  “When doors shut,” he reminded me, “it’s not to take something away. It’s to protect you from what’s on the other side.” 


He was right. How many great stories are ruined because of sequels that never needed to be written? How many heinous movie reboots get made solely because of gauzy views of the past, rather than new visions for the future? How much was I losing because I was confusing nostalgia with the best of what could be in the future?


I have never regretted the blessing of that work experience. But thanks to my friend’s words, I saw clearly that my nostalgia had blinded me to other aspects of my business which needed my attention -- and were ready to grow.

Learn, like I did, from Orpheus -- and a friend who truly cared. Unless you are appreciating the past, don’t look back. Tomorrow, and the days after, deserve better.



I want your future to be EPIC!

 

I'm Scott Mason, The Myth Slayer. I am an attorney and former C-Suite executive, coach, speaker, podcaster, and Master of the Mythic. I graduated from Columbia Law School and have spent years drawing on the full depth of a background spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to provide lawyers feeling stuck or stagnant in their careers or as leaders with a unique (and fun!) system to help them live a life that's epic.


Click here to discover more about me, my mission, and how it can help you.


If you've ever said, "I'm capable of more -- and I want it?" ... then download my five-minute self-assessment, and I'll show you how to elevate your leadership, increase your impact, and find your powerhouse personal voice NOW!


 

NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s, blogger’s and/or publisher’s exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author/blogger/publisher reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.



Recent Posts

See All

Comments


Subscribe to this blog and keep making your future epic!

bottom of page