Our culture focuses on the future. We seek out what’s new and fresh, always wanting to have novel experiences.
But there’s a lot to be learned from the past.
Obviously, we can learn from history. People are people, and we keep repeating the same experiences. That’s why George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
On a more personal level, there are many things you can pull from your own past:
- Expertise, accomplishments, and intuition that you’ve built up.
- People who know and support you.
- A broader perspective on your own deeper life values.
- Energy and passion around things that are important to you.
The neat thing about this energy and passion is that you can generate this yourself, by consciously celebrating your achievements and resources. Whenever you focus on the opportunities generated from what you’ve done in the past, it helps you build momentum toward even better results in the future.
When I lost my job last year, I worked with a wise coach who helped me to develop a set of “anchors” upon which I would build my future success. Those anchors were simply statements which I knew to be true, represented my true self and my values, and also talked about the value I can bring to the world. Merely by writing those statements down and reflecting on them, I experienced a major shift in my attitude. It generated the energy I needed to get through a tough time in my life.
What can you celebrate about your past which will form the basis for your future success?
by Carl Dierschow
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