For us to grow in any way, we must die little deaths. We have to release the old so that new growth can spring forward.
I love my flower gardens, and I spend some time in them each week, clearing out old plants and cutting away dead flower heads. I do this for two reasons. One, is to keep the garden pretty and fresh-looking. But the other, more important reason is because the garden needs to be clear of the old growth so that new growth can come through. By dead-heading my flowers, it allows the energy of the plant to go toward producing a new bud rather than trying to get the old bud to continue living, to no avail. By clearing away the old plants that are spent, it allows for the waiting plants to break ground.
We are this way too. In order for us to grow, we need to cut from us what has died, what no longer matters, and clear away what has lived pass its usefulness. Only by clearing away these small little deaths within and around us, can we continue to grow more meaningful in every way.
Namaste