Do you remember the popular TV show “Family Ties” from the 1980s? It was a family drama about the Keatons – Steven and Elyse, and their children – Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, and later Andy.
There was an episode where “Jeff” – Mallory’s boyfriend in high school – had gone off to college for his freshman year and comes back home to see Mallory, who is still in high school. It turns out that Jeff is homesick and is having trouble adjusting to his first year at college.
In a rash decision, Jeff decides to drop out of Princeton and return home to attend the local community college. However it turns out this is not the right decision. By the end of the show, Jeff decides that the best thing to do is to face his fears by returning to Princeton and trying to make it work.
I think this lesson is something that can be applied to any new situation in life. In a new marriage (statistically, the first year of marriage is the toughest), you should try and make it work, rather than leave. Yes, even if it’s hard.
How about starting a business? It is tough. Especially the first 1-2 years. You must stick it out. You have a job to do, and you must be committed and do it. You must move forward. It doesn’t work to go back, as Jeff found out – because “home” and high school had changed too, and thus weren’t the same place he left or that he remembered.
Move forward in your life, in your business, and in your career. Don’t stay stuck or try to go “back” to something that doesn’t work for you anymore. As a person, you are always growing and changing. If you are stuck, a coach can help with that. The person you are today is not the person you were 10 or even 5 years ago. Honor that person and move forward in your business and in your life. Don’t go back!
How about you?
Is there anything you have moved forward to, and then gone back? I would love to hear about it!
Are you still doing the same thing you were doing 5 or 10 years ago, or are you where you want to be today?
Great post, Karen! I was a little young at the time to really get a lot of what was going on in Family Ties (a show that was definitely a product of its time, which makes me wonder if this is why you don’t see it in syndication very often), but this is definitely a great lesson. I know I’m not the same person I was just a short time ago, and I think that it is definitely important to face our fears and problems, because if we don’t, we’ll never make any progress. As Dr. Kelso said on Scrubs, “Nothing in this life that is truly worthwhile ever comes easy.”
Thank you Steve! You made some great points.