RadioShack is a brave company.

They’ve heard all the jokes we’ve been making at their expense. They’ve seen the tweets and business articles wondering how they’re still in business. They’ve seen their profits dwindle over the past decade.

So, with a chance to make a splash during the big game this year, RadioShack did this:

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

After years of irrelevance, RadioShack embraced the criticism about being outdated and vowed to make a change. And they did it in front of the largest television audience of all time.

That, my friends, is bravery.

RadioShack did not have to make a Super Bowl commercial. They did not have to make fun of themselves. They did not have to call attention to their flaws.

RadioShack could have hunkered down. They could have lived in the past until they finally went out of business. They could have said, “We’re not changing.”

But in order to make progress, RadioShack had to make a change.

They took a risk with their Super Bowl commercial. They were willing to let go of the identity they had created on the chance to achieve something greater.

Holding on to the past has a way of holding you back from your greatest success. 

There are things in life we all hold on to that are outdated. And I’m not just talking about ancient cell phones.

Friends, relationships, hobbies, habits, beliefs. We all carry things which once served a purpose but are no longer worth keeping. Instead they only keep us from growing.

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but we must learn a lesson from RadioShack and have the bravery to let go of the past.

If God is calling us out of the past to a new way of living, we must trust His thoughts are higher and His ways are greater than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9).

You may have noticed a new look on POP GOD today. When I started the blog a year ago, I was going for a retro pop culture vibe with the funky wallpaper in the background. Part of me wants to hold on to that look. It’s painful to let go of something even as small and trivial as website wallpaper.

But ultimately I want the site to grow and change.So I’m letting go of something holding me back. (I’ll still be tweaking it over the next few days and weeks. Let me know what you think I should work on.)

If you’re feeling held back by holding on to something from your past, let it go. If you really miss it you can always go back and find it. From what I’ve found though, God doesn’t ask you to let go of something without offering something greater in return.

Take a risk like RadioShack today. It may not solve all your problems. But you will never move forward if you just stay still.

What did you think of RadioShack’s Super Bowl commercial? Is there something outdated in your life you need to let go of? What’s holding you back?