Looking around, we see businesses that have failed in the past few years. We also see those that have survived, and even some that have thrived. While it is easy to give Covid or the economy the blame, that is failing to ignore an important distinction. Businesses that have survived or thrived changed and met the demands of the time, and those that failed did not. The last time Mike and I travelled to NYC we saw firsthand an example of this.

The Wayfarer Restaurant on 57th street, one of our favorites, had closed, and the reason given was that it “did not survive COVID.” Rue 57, another of our favorites located right across the street from the Wayfarer, was and is still going strong. Similar food choices, similar prices, same location. Why did one survive and thrives, and the other not? While I do not know the particulars, I can assume that the Wayfarer did not change as needed, and Rue 57 did. Rue 57 remained relevant, and the Wayfarer did not.

I would be remiss to fail to mention 42nd Street Oyster Bar and Restaurant in downtown Raleigh, NC, an almost one-hundred-year-old institution, that will close at the end of March. The reason given for closing is a lease issue, and I do not assume that this Raleigh institution has not remained relevant. But I can’t help but compare it to another Raleigh institution, the Angus Barn, that opened in 1960, and is packed every night and shows no signs of anything but growth.

There are other examples of businesses that remained relevant and those that did not. The same can be said about us. If we are struggling, we should consider if we have changed to meet the demands of the times , or if we are holding on to a past that has passed.

We all know that the only constant is change. Yet, some of us stay set in our ways, and refuse to adapt as life requires. We refuse to read the tea leaves, assuming that we can continue to behave in the same manner as we always have, even when doing so does not move us forward.

Is there something that you are holding on to that you need to let go? If so, what will it take for you to do so? Don’t think you have to have all of the answers before you take the next step. It is possible that in taking the next logical step you will be unblocking whatever is preventing you from other steps that will lead you to where you need to be.

Perhaps there is something in here for you to ponder. If so, do not allow yourself to stay blocked. Take the next logical step, and trust that what you need will be there.