December 26, 2011 – DAY 26 | Looking Forward more than back: The closer we get to the New Year, the more we see television, radio and printed media focused on all the things that happened this year. For many, this looking back is more the way they live their lives.
I once heard the statement that many live their lives through the rear-view mirror. We focus all of our vision on this small mirror that offers an increasingly diminishing view of what once happened. It is as if we are eagerly holding on to the past in such a way that ignores the possibilities before us. We trade the wide view of the windshield for a tiny and decreasing view of what once was. We do so at the risk of running our lives into a ditch.
We have abused and misused our rear-view mirrors. They are meant as reference points to remind us of potential dangers. They were never meant to be the main source of information for traveling. We live in our rear-view mirrors as a way of controlling past pain and disappointment. Holding on to the past is our way of maintaining control of an ideal before things became difficult. When we move our focus to the windshield, we open ourselves up to a fantastic world of possibilities before us. It allows us to anticipate, plan, dream and do more things because we have a wider field of view. If you want to really make this coming a year a success, you have to change your range of view. You are either spending time looking back at what once was or forward to what could be. It is up to you!
Today’s Challenge: Write down those things that are in the rear-view mirror. Ask yourself how focusing on those things is forwarding you toward your goals. The past should only serve as a reminder to motivate us toward something better. The past should not become our addiction. We cannot change the past. We CAN have input on today and we make tomorrow possible.
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Philip A Foster, MA is Founder/CEO of Maximum Change Inc. Elevating leaders and their organizations to the next level since 2005. Master Certified Coach, Philip A Foster, MA and his associates facilitate effective positive change by helping organizations, leaders and individuals in high demand — design and implement strategies that maximize focus and deliver results. Specializing in Organization and Strategic Leadership.