Utilizing Hindsight’s 20/20 Vision

On my Mental Fitness blog (which sometimes seems as appropriate as Britney Spears having a Good Parenting blog) I often write about the mistake of spending too much time in the past.  As in reliving past mistakes,  revisiting yesterday’s tragedies, and regretting days gone by.  These three re-’s aren’t emotionally sound or mentally healthy.  Mostly, they’re just sick puppies.

However, there is a way we can utilize our yesterdays to bring more productivity to our today as well as success to our tomorrows.

Illustration #1:  If you were heading off for a day at the lake, and 15 miles down the road you were to realize that you had forgotten your cooler of Diet Dr. Peppers (you have excellent taste in drinks), you’d go back for what you needed.  Turn right around, drive back, grab the cooler of coolness, then head off for a awesome day.

Illustration #2:  I remember the words of a great southern Baptist preacher years ago. He was preaching a message about backslidding.  Afterwards, he was asked, “How do you know if you’re backsliding?”  He said, “If there was ever a time when you were closer to God than you are right now, you are backsliding.”

The Self Help industry is a multi-billion dollar monster. Everyone, and their cat, is trying to solve the world’s problems and help everyone else find happiness.  My cats and I are certainly trying to do our part(s) to change the world. Except for Alexa who has little use for anyone except Alexa.

We all know the keywords by heart - ambition, focus, challenge, integrity, inspiration, motivation, drive, and persistance.  All very important concepts - very, very much so. Yet one of the best and easiest ways to help ourselves is to use ourselves as role models. 

Case in point.  The other night I was rushing around trying to get all of my To Dos To Done.  It was 11:00 p.m. and my list had 24 bold ambitions and only 14 check marks. 14 dones/10 undones.

So I started thinking.  It hit me that there was a time when there would have been 24 dones and no undones.  Then I asked the obvious questions, What did I do then that I’m failing to do now?  What obstacles am I having to bystep that didn’t exist then?  One of the first things to occur to me was that I used to write a more precise outline for the work part of my day…

1. 30 minutes answering a.m. E-mail.
2. 2 hours writing articles.
3. 1 hour working on this project.
4. 1 hour working on that project.
5. Etc…

But, in my wisdom, I decided that this was all unnecessary and overly anal, so I ditched the practice.  Along with about ten check marks.

How do you know if you’re slacking off?  If there was ever a time when you did something better than you’re doing it now - you’re slacking!

Whether it’s time maintenance, housework, weight loss, or relationships - if you had more success at some point in the past…..

…..Turn right around, go back, grab the tricks you once possessed, and head off for an awesome life!

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