Last Wednesday, I was at the PUR musical “Adventureland” in Düsseldorf with Rüdi and the boys from the band PUR. I absolutely love musicals, and the PUR musical is simply fantastic. And one thing struck me again: If you want a different or better life, it will cost you your mind. Or as Hartmut Engler beautifully sings: “Come along, Come with me to Never-Neverland, On the path you’ve chosen, Come with me to Never-Neverland, Where all you learn in school is banned, Come with me to Never-Neverland, Any way you’ve chosen, Imagination holds the key, To Never-Neverland”.
To become the person you want to be, you must “lose” your current mindset. You must detach yourself from the person you have become through your previous way of thinking and acting and focus on what you want. Your future self thinks, feels, and acts differently. Otherwise, he would still be the same person you are today. This requires a change. If you become aware that change is the only constant in this world, this step of change might become easier for you.
Look at nature. Everything changes with the seasons. Nothing remains 100% the same as it once was. Everything moves, and so do we. The end of something old is also the beginning of something new. What if you focus precisely on the new instead of sinking into self-pity due to a failed relationship or a lost job? If you become aware that there has always been a time span between an end and a new beginning, then I’ll give you a short phrase that you can always say when your focus is too much on the sad end: Tell yourself: “This too shall pass.” Because after every winter, there has always come a spring, followed by a summer. Then it went back to autumn and winter. It will pass. The question is only how long you want to hold on to the old or focus on something new. “This too shall pass” is a beautiful mantra, and it reminds you that change is the only constant in our lives. If we know anything, it is that everything will change. Embrace change.
Therefore, my advice: Cut off the old ends and focus on what is coming here and now. Because kicking back, getting angry, or even hating won’t help you move a step further in the right direction.
The Persian poet Hafiz wrote something beautiful in the 14th century: “Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that—it lights up the whole sky.”
Every morning, I look at a sheet full of affirmations that do me good. And at the top is my personal mantra: “Every decision I make and every path I take leads to something wonderful.” Be joyful and grateful for every experience you have been able to make and be assured that it will have been meaningful for something on your future path. Trust. Believe. Love.
In this spirit, I wish you much joy on your way into your personal Never-Neverland.
