September 23, 2014
Let It Go – and Live in the Moment
A lot of my friends and colleagues have asked me how I have been able to continue to have a successful career - and enjoy what life has to offer - with everything that has been hanging over my head the past few years? My colleagues at the company at which I have worked over the past five years have all said that they would never know that I had such major negative things going on in my life – and many didn’t know. It is a fair question. People with careers like mine have a tendency to be control freaks and to a certain extent, that describes me (although much less so now). And clearly, a lot of things have been going on in my life over the past few years over which I have had no control whatsoever. Even with things in the criminal justice system over which I thought I had some control, that turned out not to be the case. So I have had to learn to “let it go” when it comes to things in life I cannot control. “Let it go” does not mean “stick your head in the sand.” More often than not, the issues and events that came up over which I had no control required us to take some type of action (more on that later). But once we did the things we had to do, we let it go. The corollary to letting it go is a philosophy to which I have always subscribed and which has served me particularly well over the past few years – living in the moment. Even when things are bad, life presents you with many opportunities to enjoy. Living in the moment simply means experiencing to the fullest what is happening right now – whether good or bad. Even with all that has happened, there have been far more good moments to savor and enjoy over the past few years. That is what I choose to focus on and it has played a huge role in getting me through everything that has happened, and I know it will continue to serve me well in the future.
David Applegate
Thanks for your writing
Yes…keep writing David
My world is a better place when I accept the things I can’t change, change the things I can, and hope for the wisdom to know the difference. For me, this means either I live in fear or or I don’t. If I can accept that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now, I don’t live in fear of the future. If I do the work that is in front of me, do it to the best of my ability, and then let go of the result, I am not living in fear of the result. Love your blog. It will keep you sane.
Hmmm – this sounds familiar….. Great philospophy although I think you and I came to it via different routes!
Thank you for the reminder David. Do I detect a book on the horizon?
You never know Donna Pickens!
It’s always a good idea in theory, tougher in practice. But you’ve succeeded remarkably!
Dear David,
I hope that both you and Ken will be ok. Your openness and willingness to share your story through your writing is quite touching…..but it’s more than that. I guess I just appreciate your candor combined with your ability to maintain a positive attitude. I know I don’t know you that well, but I just wanted to say thank you. You are a singular individual, and I really do hope everything works out.
Thank you, Gala
Love your writing, Dovey. Just getting a chance to catch up with it all for the first time. A very well crafted endeavor. Who knows where this will take you. I’m excited to see the topics that get covered in your blog…I’ll bet they end up surprising even you!
I am expecting a book as well …… you are going to make lemonade out of these lemons !!
Oh there will be a book but we will see if anyone wants to publish it!
You really are a GREAT writer…I dislike reading very much, mainly because I am forced to read through hundreds of pages of contracts daily…BUT you just pull me in and keep me wanting more and more…a tear suddenly forms and then before I know it you have me laughing out loud! Keep it up David you are a wonderful person and a great inspiration…I am proud to call you and Kenny friends…xoxo
Thanks Benjamin – what a great compliment!