“Next” doesn’t sound like a motto to live by. It doesn’t make for an epic battle cry or moving political campaign slogan. But it was and still is my personal mantra that I used every day since I was growing up. Every single day that passed kind of giving me the feeling, "okay... what's NEXT?" instead of regretting on what had happened.
So, why am I telling you this? Who has any kind of concern in what I have within which I considered to be my personal mantra? I’m sharing this with you because it’s a philosophy that has carried me from nowhere to where I am today. While I acknowledge that you can learn a great deal from historical precedents, I think we all spend too much time and energy looking backward. The successes or failures of your past don’t define you. It’s the ability to turn the page to the next, better chapter.
Take my life for an example, If I had paid attention to my "life indicators", a little girl with ADHD, an orphan, a victim of a physical and psychological abusive marriage; who knows where I would be. Certainly not here, sharing my opinion on life.
And when I decided to leave a certain condition and started a new chapter of my life, most people, well best to say, "the world" demanded me to stay put. And when other people with regular lives are moving up and thought that they have reached certain satisfactory points. I was drawing my own map, blazing my own trail with one single thing in mind after the end of everything, "What's NEXT"??
What was going to be the next great leap after the fall?
What was going to be the next great thought to think about after a certain misunderstanding?
What was going to be the next great step to take after a series of wrong turns in my life?
What was going to be the next idea after the failure of another idea?
What was going to be the next to build after a certain destructive condition?
What was going to be the next to grow after a certain lost?
Again, it was the same question: "What's NEXT" that actually managed to force me to keep moving forward, and somehow.., every end of something became a great beginning of something else too, and another statement will be: "I'm just getting started".
My point is, if you’re looking for an excuse to fail, you will always find one. Don’t get me wrong; I have no problem celebrating the wins. Victories are blessings, they instill the confidence within us that propels us forward. But remember, just don't trip on your victory lap if I may say though...
To some, “next” may come off as a dismissal. To me, it’s the catalyst for endless possibilities. As a builder and a developer, my job is not done when the deal is closed. It’s about constantly watching the road ahead.
Well...OK then, that's enough from me today...
NEXT....!!!!!
Always, with love
Lisa Fransiska Sitompul
November 21st, 2012
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