Many of us spend a large part of our lives looking back.
Thinking about how things once were. How fewer lines we had on our faces yesterday.
What we could do, that we no longer can. What we could have done differently, if given time over again.
Choices made, we would like to unmake. How we could have dealt with a situation better. How we could have changed an outcome.
Whilst time for reflection, learning our lessons and trying not to repeat our mistakes are all to be applauded, too much time spent looking to the past means we start to miss where we are now. This rear-view mirror bias will eventually catch up to us.
Regret is never likely to fuel our best selves but can become a constant companion, if we always look back. And all too often, when we look back, we do so with a rose tinted view. Glorifying the past at the expense of today.
The inconvenient truth, yesterday is gone. Last week and last year are even further gone. We’ll never get them back. Moments in time that have now passed.
We can make peace with that or we can fight it. What we cannot do is alter the fact.
Making Peace with Time
What if we focused our energy on the now instead? What if we committed to learn our lessons but worked on making today the best it can be?
What if we let go of the shackles of the past and concentrated on the present? Investing ourselves fully in this moment.
What if we made peace with time?
What if we let go of our rear-view mirror bias?