I love a great quote, don't you? The best quotes make you think. And they often articulate much clearer, what you want to say. Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher born in 544 b.c. said,
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”
Have you ever heard that quote before? We do not speak that way today. But in plain English, that means that you cannot step into the same river twice because you are changing and the river is changing.
However, there is a deeper meaning to the quote.
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Quote Meaning: You Cannot Step Into the Same River Twice
What does that quote mean to you?
Take a couple of minutes to reflect on the quote. This quote resonated with me when I read a book filled with Heraclitus quotations quite a few years ago. For me, the river is always moving because it’s alive, so it’s never the same.
Every day, people change because they have new experiences which shape them. So, you cannot step into the same river twice. People also encounter new people who influence them, and change their lives. They read books, they take courses, they travel to new places – all of which change them.
And of course, let's not forget the race riots and global pandemic. Things are forever changed. Jobs disappeared along with companies. Professionals have to embrace a new reality, whatever that may look like for them. Since the year started, there has been unprecedented changes. None of us is the same.
If everything is in a state of flux, how can you use that to your advantage? The ability to change is more important today. We are living in a dynamic environment, where things are changing at the speed of light. To succeed, you have to embrace change. The latest buzzword is that you need to pivot your career or your business.
Applying the Quote: You Cannot Step Into the Same River Twice
Keep in mind that whenever you have a change, it comes with an opportunity. The bigger the change, the bigger the opportunity.
- With a new perspective, how can you approach your work differently to be more efficient?
- How can you approach a problem that you are having with a new set of eyes?
- Where can you take your career or business to become sustainable?
It's a different day, you are a different person, with a different outlook.
And, how can you elevate yourself to view the problem differently? To do any of these things, requires you to be proactive about your career. And that is a really good thing.
Let's take things a step further, how about you think about a meaningful project you can take on at work that will impact the company's bottom line? Make sure that the project will benefit you as well as the organization. In the book Promoted
, Bozi Dar says you should focus on a turnaround department or a high growth one.
- What would the project look like?
- Look at it from many perspectives.
- How would you approach it?
- The project should last more than three to six months.
Have you read?
Leonardo DiCaprio on Growth: Why Every Next Level of Life Demands a New You
The experience would definitely change your life. You would be a different person when you step into the river again. And you would be more valuable to yourself, and to your employer. You would have marketable skills. Einstein said,
“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”
When you elevate yourself to solve the problem, you are changing. You cannot step into the same river twice is very timely with what's going on in the world. Because of the rapid spread of the virus, many people are forced to work from home. That's a big change for people. The isolation is forcing everyone to approach life very differently. They're finding new ways to stay in contact with each other.
And things will never be the same, even when they find a cure for the virus. With all this change going on around you, it impacts who you are. And you being changed by worldwide events, how can you as one person make a difference? How can you position yourself, so that you come out of this stronger? You cannot step into the same river twice, but that's a really good thing.
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