It takes courage to move on when you feel like you’ve outgrown something.

I’m not a technology person. At all. I’m not just saying this. It’s true, ask my kids. Ask anyone who knows me. I tend to get frustrated when things don’t work. I’ve actually called my kids at school and interrupted them during class before, when I couldn’t get the TV to work. Seriously. That didn’t go over too well with the teacher, but I did get to watch my movie.

The other day, every time I charged my phone, it would run out of power almost immediately. If I just made one phone call and looked up a few things, the darn thing would die. This went on for a few hours. I tried to work independently and not bother anyone.

But, it was frustrating. Very Frustrating.

I tried to fix it, but I couldn’t. Later that evening, when everyone was home, I mentioned this to my daughters. “Mom, do you realize you have OVER twenty apps opened?”

“Hmm, really,” I said, “Does that matter?”

“Only if you want your phone to work,” my youngest daughter said as she closed the apps. “I think it will work now. Just be sure to close things when you’re done with them. It depletes the energy.”

Hmm. Close things when you’re done with them. This made me think. Getting my phone to work was a quick fix, but how many other things in my life was I done with and hadn’t closed or ended?

A lot, if I’m being honest.

We all have activities we’re involved in, people we keep as “friends” and responsibilities we continue to do, maybe because we always have.  But, do we take a step backwards and ask ourselves if we WANT to keep these things opened? Do we take the time to ask ourselves if we’re happy who we spend our time with and how we spend our time? Maybe we’re just hanging on to them for “old times sake.”

People change. Seasons change.

If you have something or someone in your life, that you’ve hung on to and kept open, but you can tell deep down you’re ready to move on, do it. I give you permission.

Close the app.

Just because something has served you well in the past, doesn’t mean you need to hold on to it now. Don’t be afraid to let go of an activity if you’ve lost interest in it. If there’s a friendship you’ve had, but you’ve outgrown each other, don’t be afraid to move on. It doesn’t need to be a dramatic situation, just simply back off a bit and let time do the rest. Time is our most precious commodity. Make sure you spend your time on things and people you truly care about.

If you need to close an app or two, don’t be afraid to close it. It will give you more energy to give to the areas in your life you truly care about. Don’t deplete your energy on things you’ve outgrown. Simply, close them down, turn them off and move on.

Find meaning each day,

Dara

If you enjoyed this post, check out my recent Huffington Post article, Growing Old Together