“When one door closes another door opens, but we so 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

A lovely letter accompanied the recent mailing of a catalog I enjoy perusing and I am compelled this morning to share the better part of its first paragraph and the closing sentence with you this morning:

Dear Mr. Hake,

As we embrace the much anticipated arrival of spring, we are reminded of the constant presence of transformation. Transformation is an underlying theme that is a part of our history and of our daily lives. It can be found everywhere, both within us and around us. It is a fundamental part of every individual, just as it is a key element of our Maison…As we begin the transformation into spring, we hope you enjoy this issue we have dedicated to the exploration of this theme.

The theme of transformation is finding expression in my companies at the moment as ubiquitously as the buds bursting forth upon the spring trees in every direction. Between personnel shifts, new projects and spring cleaning, we have our hands full, and everywhere I turn, I mean everywhere(!), the forms, structures and relationships I had grown so fond of and had gotten so accustomed to are changing before my very eyes!

If I were to name one capability as being most essential to an entrepreneur or anyone involved in a small business it would be this: adaptability. Things seem to change more quickly in small businesses than in large companies. Opportunities that would be overlooked by an unwieldy multinational appear as bay doors to another world for a small company. Its typically smaller and more agile teams can move swiftly to take advantage of these windows that open and close relatively quickly.

If circumstance gives you a crack, if life offers you a break, drive a truck through it! Don’t be shy. Assess in as little time as practicable and move swiftly! Don’t look back. I love Alexander Graham Bell’s quote as I have watched and sought to assist people perfectly poised for a breakthrough who fail to realize that they are so positioned. They stand on the brink of a new world, a new adventure, a brighter and more expansive future, and yet they fix their gaze on what appears to be fading away from the previous opportunity, gripping the old, familiar worn-out opportunity like a 10 year old holding on to his tattered and torn baby blanket.

Transformation is intrinsic to the material world. Matter is constantly in flux. Nothing, I repeat, nothing ever stays the same. One of the pitfalls in human consciousness you are wise to avoid is the tendency to crystallize in your mind and heart those things which you like, love or prefer. Attempting to do so is foolhardy as it is a vain effort to lock in that which is perpetually changing. People change. Things change. Companies change. Countries change. The natural world changes. It is all in a state of constant transformation!

Take care that you do not get tripped up on the silly idea that keeping things as they are when they reach an “ideal” state will bring happiness in the long run. You will be let down if you take this approach! Instead, look to appreciate people, places and things as they are for now, realizing that they will and must change over time. By doing so you position yourself at the point where the past meets the future. You won’t be obsessing regretfully about the past and you won’t be dreaming idly about the future. You’ll be living!

And there is no better place to be.