Look Forward

There can be times in our lives we look back and think about missed opportunities.  I know I can think of countless times when I said to myself, "I should have.....", "Why didn't I go...." or Why didn't I say..."  We have all heard the old saying that hind sight is 20/20.  However, instead of focusing on the past what we  should concentrate our energy on the present.

One element to leading a successful life is to focus on today and the future.  We have to stop looking backwards and wishing that we can change things.  Sometimes we devote a lot of energy beating ourselves up and let regret eat us up on the inside.  Yes, there are things that I wish I hadn't said or done. However, I can't take the past back.  With that being said, there are things that I can do:

• I can ask for forgiveness if I have offended or disappointed someone

• I can forgive others for things that may have offended or disappointed me

• I can forgive myself for past mistakes or lapses in my judgment

• Prepare myself for the endless possibilities and opportunities that life presents me

Instead of concentrating on the should da, could da, and would da's, we should keep looking forward.  The past should be used as a learning instrument that keeps us from making the same mistakes.  Stop  looking back!  If there is an aspect in our lives that need to be tweaked or changed, then we need to change it. We have to exercise our willpower to make necessary adjustments in our lives.  We have to KEEP LOOKING FORWARD!

Comments

[Colleen Newvine Tebeau]

Thanks for this great blog post.
For many years, when I read about the importance of forgiveness, I focused on forgiving others for the hurts they'd inflicted on me. Then I realized the importance of forgiving myself, too.
Like you said, that doesn't mean there aren't dozens of things I wish I could change in my past, but since I can't, I can sincerely apologize, try to learn something from it and try not to repeat the mistake in the future.
Sometimes touching a hot stove is the best way to learn not to touch a hot stove, right?

[Dentist Lakeland]

Thank you very much for this post. I also have been having difficulties in forgiving some people in my life. Primarily because I have trusted them so much...It's true, we need to keep looking forward. There is no room for regrets in life...

[Robin Wright]

Colleen, thanks for reading. It is natural for women to think of others before themselves. This is also true when it comes to forgiveness. I love you analogy of touching a hot stove.

Dentist Lakeland, forgiving other can be very difficult. Especially if the one who offended you is close to you. I have to often remind myself that the people in my lives are human and can make errors. That's ok. We can learn from this and don't let the past repeat itself.