A work in constant progress

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.

Gail Sheehy

I am currently working on an Iconography that I hope to finish by the end of the week, The Anatomy of a Modern Gentleman. As I posted it on a couple places, I always made it clear that it was a work in progress, and that any comment and critique was more than welcome. And then it hit me, the irony of it all. We are all a work in progress, so why are we so unwilling to accept comments and critiques. Why do we hate change so much, yet expect to grow as a person. Do we really think that things can remain the same and yet get better at the same time?

The biggest challenge we will face is that turning point when we realize that we were wrong in our mindset and ideology before, especially in our younger years. Yet we are unwilling to admit such a change in heart, because we fear it would make us look weak or that what we defended so valiantly at one time was really a mistake.

Did you know there is another name for mistakes, especially when you learn from them? It’s called experience. They are the life lessons we can only learn if we are willing to accept that they were mistakes. And that instant of acceptance and understanding is when we begin to grow as a person.

Life is about change, be it because your world changes. We keep hearing about going back to old values and old traditions, but that is impossible. The world today wasn’t the same it was yesterday. If we look only to the past, or even the present, we will miss what the world has in store for us in the future.

We must look at what worked, and learn from where we were wrong. We must grow, change, evolve, and adjust for all of those lessons. Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. Only then can we become better men.

Do keep in mind, the fact that you are still here, after all the mistakes you’ve done and everything like has thrown your way, proves you can survive everything it can throw your way in the future.

PS. This is the work in progress “Anatomy of a Modern Gentleman.” As I mentioned before, all comments and critique are welcome.