Only Look in the Rear-view Mirror if you want to go Backwards

It often astounds me, how things that are such common sense, are seldom common practice. We all know that history serves only one purpose and that is to act as our tutor. Yet so many people spend an inordinate amount of time reminiscing about what could have been or using the past to justify their current lack of performance. Learn as much as you can, from what has happened in your past, create a crystal clear picture in your mind, of exactly what you want in the future and then live in the NOW. Your now’s are all you really have, invest them wisely to carry out activities that will deliver the outcomes you desire.
You could never successfully navigate a journey in your car, if you kept your eyes trained on your rear-view mirror for the entire journey. Then why do you think that you can navigate the journey toward creating the life of your dreams, if you remain focused on the past.
I was at a dinner party recently and was listening to a lady complaining about, how her ex-husband had treated her, all the things that he had done wrong and how his behaviour was causing her to remain trapped in a life she hated. I asked her how long she had been divorced, expecting her to say a few months. Her answer completely astounded me; she had been divorced for 16 years. She had spent 16 years looking at everything that was wrong with her life, focusing on finding reasons why she was the victim, instead of exploring everything that was wrong, learning the lesson offered and then finding ways to grow into a more positive life experience. I was not surprised that this lady had remained single for all that time and never achieved any of her dreams.
I was at a networking event recently and met a guy that was at school with me. He was the captain of the first rugby team, the most popular guy at school and dated the most beautiful cheerleader, whom he later married. Standing in front of me was an obese man, recently divorced, suffering from type 2 diabetes, still talking about his former glory days at high school. He had spent so much of his life focused on his success at high school that he never made time to look at his future. He wasted his every now, on looking in rear view mirror, never allowing himself the freedom to grow and become more.
Right now, is the time to stop damaging your future potential, by spending your present, dwelling in a past, which is gone forever. Every event that has happened in your life is over, irrespective of whether it resulted in victory or defeat. You wake up each day a new person, a little wiser because of what happened the day before. The way that new day turns out is up to you, the actions you take will define not only how that day will turn out, but will define how the rest of your life will unfold. You are not your past, you are you are only your present, your present activities or lack of action will determine the life you get to live.
The past is only there to instruct you, to fill your head with a lifetime of experience and to make you a wiser person, better equipped, to go marching toward the success that you desire. The past is a place to find lessons, never a place to dwell, so that you can find excuses to justify your lacklustre performance. It is time to get into the real playing field of life and to finally begin to use all your experience, to begin to play, with real intensity and purpose.
Be proud of your accomplishments, learn from your mistakes and reward your successes, just remember, to always keep your eyes on the journey ahead and to only look in the rear-view mirror if you want to go backwards.
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