“Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future”
Robin Sharma
I am now in that exciting phase of life where I am teaching my oldest son how to drive. This is an experience of pure joy and sheer panic all wrapped up in a 30 minute car ride.
During a recent excursion with him, he kept looking in the rear view mirror concerned about an approaching Mustang that was getting very close.
“Dad, I think this guy is getting really close to me.”
“It’s ok, he can pass you.” I said.
Still my son was so focused on the car in the rear view mirror he was neglecting to keep up with the traffic in front of him. Leading to some close calls and me pressing the imaginary brake!
Finally, I just told him, “Don’t worry so much about the cars behind you. Look in front of you.”
Life’s Rear view Mirror
How often do we do this?
How often do we worry about the people or situations behind us?
So focused on out past we neglect the present or the future.
A life lived in reverse can’t move forward.
Narrow view
The rear view mirror in the car is much smaller than the windshield for a reason. It is big enough to give you all the information you need. Is there something behind me I need to be aware of?
The windshield is larger to give you a much better view of whats coming
Would you rather have the better view looking backwards or looking forward?
Can you imagine how distracting driving would be if the rear view mirror was much larger than it already is?
When you have a smaller view you tend to fill the gaps in with a story. This is why focusing on the past is so damaging.
When you look out of the windshield, you have a much more complete view. You see things coming, opportunities to forge ahead, turn off a side road and explore or maybe just park and take a break.
Stuck in Reverse.
Maybe your life has gotten stuck in the reverse.
It is so easy to dwell on the past and think about what you could have done differently.
It is so easy to place blame on how others wronged you.
Remember the rear view mirror is not the complete view.
Sometimes it is so hard to shift into drive, but forward motion is where you get the benefit of the windshield.
If you are not moving forward the windshield does you no good.
Shift Gears
Living in reverse is exhausting. Just like it is much more stressful to back a car up versus moving forward.
Look for areas in your life where you are stuck in reverse and make a dedicated effort to move on.
Life is too short to live by looking over your shoulder.
Shift it into drive, hit the gas and leave the past behind.
Leave your email address to be notified when new post are out