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The future is the only thing you can hope to influence, so focus on that
Monday, 10 September 2007
We are all, in many ways, walking containers of memories. Good memories, bad memories, uplifting ones and tragic ones. Our pasts shape us into the people we are.
But the past has been. There's nothing we can do to change it or affect it. We all have times when we'd like to be able to turn back the clock and make things happen differently, but we can't. Time travel just isn't within our power.
While your past will always have a major influence on you - will hang over you wherever you are - I think it's best not to spend too much time focussing on it.
Yes, try to learn from what has happened to you before. And try to find patterns in what's occurred. Sift through your past looking for lessons.
But don't get too hung up on it. Try to let the tragedies that will inevitably occur fade away from your everyday thoughts. Take time to grieve what's been lost, but also have a determination to move on.
Sometimes, our situation as human beings can seem dire. Everything can collapse around us and we can feel powerless beyond belief.
Life, as an Australian Prime Minister once said, wasn't meant to be easy.
But there's hope for us all. And that is that the future has not yet been written. Things can turn out to our advantage - the possibility is there.
And even better, we can take action to influence the events that are yet to come. No, we don't have absolute power over them. But we do have some influence, that's for certain.
So focus on the possibilities of the future rather than the tragedies of the past. It will not only lead you to more success, but it will also help to keep you sane in the face of what can sometimes appear to be hopeless situations.
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