Sometimes you need to look in the rearview mirror in order to adjust your forward direction. The tough part is knowing when to look and how to interpret the view so you can be more effective as you move forward.
If you haven't read the book 5 People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Bloom, I recommend you do but not for the reason you might think. It is not because it is a literay work of genius but because it is a book that challenges perceptions. The lead character goes to heaven and meets 5 people. Each person shows him an event from his life and they give him a new perspective on it. He in turn sees how much of his life was shaped, not by what happened, but by how he interpreted what happened.
After reading the book, take some time to jot down events that have happened to you at work, at home or growing up. Check out what meaning you have applied to those events and how it has shaped the choices you make today. Then take all of the events that are holding you captive and try to spin a new way of looking at the event so you can learn from it. This is how you use retrospection to get better introspection.
The rearview mirror is a handy tool if you know how to use it well. You don't want to live there, but you need to grow from there.
Don't let the past hold you captive. Instead be defined by your future.
Anne Warfield
Learn how to say the right thing at the right time everytime!
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