Want a Brighter Future, Release Your Past

Poor Milena, it seems she is always worried that things won’t go well for her because she had this or that unpleasant experience. Milena often judges her friends based on how they acted at their lowest moments, accusing her friend Judith of yelling at her for over a trivial matter. She forgot, however, that the friend had a big fight with her husband just before meeting Milena for dinner. She also forgot that the fight was over a favor that Judith had promised to do for Melina.

One time, Milena’s friend, Paul, scratched her car. He opened the door quickly and accidentally hit it against a pole. Melina never lets him forget about that, and she mentions it every time Paul gets in her car. One wonders how Milena can make any progress in her life, or keep any friends when she is so focused on the past. If you, like Milena, bear grudges, continually reliving experiences, and finding yourself worried that the past will repeat itself, it is time you stopped living in the past and start focusing on creating a new future.

The Past Is Gone, and It’s Not Coming Back

Your past has gotten you to where you are today. It is a quilt of experiences and thoughts that have prepared you for the moment, but it is gone, never to return. The reason it’s called his-story is that it has already been written. Nothing you can do or say will ever bring it back. All you can do now is move forward.

The past is a place of comfort. It gives you a reminder of what was, and clear expectations of how things will be in the future if you stay the course, no surprises or tough decisions.

Regardless of whether the past is where your greatest accomplishments lie, or it’s a place of horror, it is behind you. There are some valuable lessons to be found of what to do and not to do. Ways you can improve going forward are also part of those experiences. Nevertheless, the past is done and it can not be repeated.

Forget the past — the future will give you plenty to worry about.

George Allen, Sr.

Pack Your Bags and Move On

Instead of dwelling on the past, chart your course and journey into the great unknown future. It doesn’t pay to agonize over your past mistakes, or to live in the might have beens. These thoughts will only fill your mind with grief and despair.

Instead, focus on what you want to do, where you want to go, and what you want to be in the future. Making goals and plans for what you want to achieve will help you grow beyond your expectations. This mind-shift may appear unattainable, but it requires you to habitually focus on what you can do today to take a step towards tomorrow. So, go slowly and accept that you may slip from time to time. To make a beautiful future, you need to put your energies into making that happen. It won’t come from your past, it is your now.

The past is gone, the future is uncertain, all you really have is now. Focusing on now is the way to direct your future.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

The future is unwritten, it’s the choices you make and the actions you take that will decide what you achieve. To get yourself to a better place, you need to take full responsibility for your life and what comes next. Embrace your opportunity to shape your future. If you shy away from what may be, you will never know what you could have become. There is no reason for you not to pursue your dreams. No matter how old you are. It’s much better to try and fail than to never try at all. You will find joy in the journey, more so than in the accomplishment.

Stop Telling Yourself No

The biggest obstacle to achieving success is you. You can tell yourself, “All things are possible”, or you can choose to say, “I’ll never make it.” The message you plant in your mind is up to you. Either way, you will be right. So why not choose to encourage yourself?

Too often, we discourage ourselves from achieving success with thoughts of I’m not good enough, I’m not smart enough, or why would they choose me. These self-doubts will have you failing even before you get started. Instead of finding faults, ask yourself, “Why not me?”

Releasing the past is about opening your mind to possibilities. No matter what happened before, you can achieve a new result going forward. Today is a new day and the choices are yours.

One way I manage this uncertainty is by considering that anything is possible until someone more knowledgeable or the decision-maker tells me otherwise. Considering all possibilities and taking advantage of every opportunity will lead you to the right ones.

Now is All You Have

The past is gone, the future is uncertain, all you really have is now. Focusing on now is the way to direct your future. By taking action now, you are moving towards what will make a difference in your life. Everything you want, every accomplishment, every adventure originates with you taking action.

This article is part of that journey, inspiring you, causing you to consider new options, and providing hints of the next challenge that you need to face as you work to build a life for yourself. Choose to do the things that move incrementally forward, step by step, and day by day to a life you can be proud to own.

You make tens of thousands of decisions every day. Those decisions move you farther down the road you’ve been traveling or nearer to the life you want to lead. You can not make those choices tomorrow or yesterday. They are in front of you today, at this very moment. Seize it. Win your day and step by step you will win your life too.

I think the biggest thing is just focusing on the day-to-day, your routine, not getting caught up in the future or the past, and just being right there and focusing on what you have to do that day or that night to help you win.

Christian Yelich

Regret Nothing

Everything you’ve done, all your experiences, your successes, your failures have brought you to this point in your life. Now, you are looking into your future. Do you want to be swallowed up by those past experiences; the ones you keep hidden away, not wanting to share with anyone?

Or do you want to transcend everything that has come before, building on your life experiences to be more of the goodness that is inside you? The choice is yours. You can express your decision by taking a step into new uncharted territory. Don’t look down. Focus on your ambitions and have faith that you were meant to chase those. That is what winning the day is all about. No regrets, courage in the face of fear, and a belief in yourself that you are destined to be an incredible person. Live the dream.

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