Face-What’s-Next

Face What’s Next

So many times during the week, we tend to relive the past.  Maybe we made a mistake, said something we shouldn’t have, or just lost our temper with someone we love.  It seems that our human psyche default is to relive the past, to keep going over it and berating ourselves for not performing better than we did.  There is a line from the movie Geostorm that I particularly like; it says, “You can’t relive the past; all you can do is face what’s next.”

When we permit ourselves to let go of times when we could have done better in favor of what is before us, the choice seems obvious.  But it isn’t until we get to that point that the option is one that we can make.

One of my mentors was interviewing a very successful technology CEO, and he mentioned to him that he knew that he had made mistakes in his life.  Times when he just called it wrong or didn’t see something coming and missed the mark.  He asked him there were many times in his life that he would like to go back and do again?  The CEO thought carefully for just a moment and immediately said, “No.” Surprised, my mentor asked him why he would say that.

His answer was a classic one and one to remember for all of us.  He said, because I am the person I am today, I am where I am today because of those mistakes.  I love that because it speaks to us, our journey is our journey, and as long as we’re cognitively aware of what we are becoming, we are on our path, including those mistakes that we berate ourselves over.

Choosing not to relive the past is such an important concept to teach our kids and other adults.  When we find ourselves falling short in a situation with another person or just missed calling a shot correctly, stop ourselves immediately and take a moment to acknowledge that we missed it, and then tell ourselves that something better is about to come.  I noticed that something extraordinary occurs shortly afterward when something negative happens, mainly when I caused it.

However, it takes recognition and expectation that you want this to happen.  When we face what’s next, then we own our problem.  That is never a wrong move, and then we say, OK, what’s next, I want to move on, and we do precisely that.

I have another take on this here Reliving the Past – Face What’s Next – Dr. Rich Patterson (pattersonphd.com)

Closely related to Facing What’s Next is Perseverance; read here What Is Perseverance – Examples And Importance Of Perseverance – Harappa.

I hope that the next time you remember something from the past or experience a shortcoming of yourself, you will stop, recognize it, and then look for what good will come out of it or around it.

Yours for Better Parenting,

Rich