When One Door Closes, Another Opens

Life is full of opportunities, you just have to know how to seize yours. Sometimes we think that when something ends, the world suddenly crumbles over our heads. However, there’s another way of looking at it. And it’s that maybe we’re being blessed with the gift of a new opportunity to start another exciting adventure.

So now, I propose a reflection exercise. In the next few minutes, ask yourself why a door in your life has closed. What wisdom and experience has been left behind for you and how can you take advantage of this knowledge in order to open new worlds full of opportunities.

“Don’t be like most people, who desperately wait around for their new opportunity and spend their lives saying: “mine hasn’t arrived yet”. “

-Héctor Tassinari-

Why does a door close?

Have you ever wondered why a door closes? Don’t forget that we’re talking about a door in a figurative sense. A physical door can be closed by a push, the wind, by maneuvering a lever, by mistake… there are many possibilities.

Why do the “doors” in our lives close or why do we close them? We can think of many reasons based on many different possible scenarios. Let’s look at some of them:

A relationship ends. You can think that when there’s nothing left to fight for in a relationship, you close the door. Where there were once flames and a powerful fire, not even ashes or dying embers remain.
A friendship ends. Sometimes, a good friend can betray us so badly that we’re incapable of forgiving them. We close the door in order to keep them from hurting us further, and we end the relationship to distance ourselves from the pain.
A job ends. Many times, in jobs where we’re not happy or because new work opportunities arise, we decide to abandon them and seek other professional paths. Sometimes these are painful decisions that are very hard to make.

What happens when we close a door?

The majority of times, closing a door implies a great deal of pain. If you have to abandon your partner because there’s nothing left of what once was, end your friendship with someone, leave a job which you were happy with, move away from the town you lived in… it can all cause an immense feeling of sadness.

Now, let’s think about the circumstances that led us to closing these doors. How did we get to this point? What happened to make me leave my partner, who was once the center of my life? Why do I have to leave the town in which I’ve been happy?

Reflect upon these decisions long and hard, and upon why you have gotten to this point. Don’t spend your time judging others for what’s happening to you, and find your part of the blame as well. Because there’s always something you could have done better or should’ve done before. Or maybe not, but you need to know it well, analyze it and learn.

New doors will open

Once we’ve closed the door and reflected on the facts that led us to that situation, now it’s time to discover new opportunities and enjoy the world that opens up before us. Embrace it will all of your strength, because there’s still much left to do.

“A problem is a new opportunity to give your best effort.”

-Duke Ellington-

You have undergone a difficult experience of having to close a door on someone or something you loved, cared about or which pestered you. You have reflected and learned some tough but wise lessons. Now, with this newfound experience, look to the future with optimism and discover the new opportunities that are opening up before you.

You have more experience and wisdom. Use it to learn from what you did wrong and avoid repeating it. Learn from the times you were on the right path and reinforce it in future experiences. Take advantage of all the opportunities life offers you.

Nothing is over. Whether you abandon a loved one or you lose a great love, your life doesn’t end. There’s still plenty left to do, a great number of doors left to open, adventures to enjoy, people to meet, jobs to start, cities to visit…