Name: Necessary Endings
Rating: 4 (61 reviews)
Author: Henry Cloud

What’s in it for me? Discover how making necessary endings can radically improve your quality of life.

We’ve all been there, stuck in a rut. Whether it’s a stale relationship or unsatisfying job, it can be difficult to put an end to what we don’t like. It turns out that human beings are remarkably flexible when it comes to putting up with things that suck joy out of their lives.

Sometimes it’s important that we relieve ourselves of unwanted baggage so we can live fuller lives. Whether that means closing down a struggling business and going back to school or ending an abusive relationship, we need to take the plunge because the grass is almost always greener on the other side.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how to make endings a normal, habitual part of your life;
what signs you should look out for that indicate something should come to an end; and
why it’s sometimes necessary to get someone else to end things for you.

Like it or not, endings are necessary, whether at work, in business, or in our personal lives.

At some time or other, we’ve all hit that wall. We’re facing the end, and there’s nothing to be done.

It’s a universal experience, and it can be galling. But it’s important to remember that endings serve a purpose. They mean we will eventually thrive in professional and personal settings. They are, in fact, necessary.

For instance, there are times when it’s best to draw a line under a business venture or a product line. Perhaps a new technology has rendered those efforts unprofitable. Even design classics like the Walkman cassette player had to be put to bed eventually.

It’s true of fashion trends too. Flared corduroy trousers might have been all the rage in the 1970s, but the current low demand means that there’s no point producing quite so many pairs anymore.

Sometimes, even employees have to be let go. Why keep someone around if they aren’t living up to their promise? That's the time to find a better replacement who will help you achieve your long-standing objectives.

What’s true in business is also true in our personal lives. Endings are inevitable, but they mean we can move on.

An unsupportive relationship or friendship prevents us from blooming, and a dysfunctional or violent relationship or an unhealthy friendship is worse still. But your relationship with yourself is harder to see. Just think about your behavioral patterns or harmful habits. Maybe you’re too reliant on your parents’ support, for instance.

Simply put: endings are good things. They are necessary. Without them, we’d all be unhappily married to our high school sweethearts, stuck in our first jobs, or burdened with unreliable employees. We'd never reach our goals or actualize our dreams.

To create sufficient urgency for change, you've got to get real about present circumstances.

Endings seem hard because they require change.

Because most of us only make changes when they're absolutely necessary, endings are particularly tricky. We need to be pushed by fear and pulled by the possibility that the new scenario will be even better. We’re best driven by a sense of urgency – whether it’s a need to escape a disappointing situation or to reach a better place.

Key ideas in Necessary Endings

What is Necessary Endings about?

Necessary Endings (2010) is concerned with endings and why it’s sometimes best that certain business or personal relationships reach closure. Whether in our work or private lives, endings are necessary if we want to thrive and realize our dreams. But endings are rarely – if ever – easy. This book in blinks provides plenty of good advice on how to engineer them for your benefit.

About the Author

Henry Cloud trained as a clinical psychologist and is a successful leadership consultant. He also coaches business executives on performance and leadership. Aside from being a frequent motivational speaker, Cloud is a bestselling author and has published Boundaries, The One-Life Solution and Integrity.