To maximize our personal thriving, perhaps we shouldn’t look back– we should only look ahead!
What is the pragmatic use of looking in the past?
We often think about our personal past because we can “learn lessons” from our “past mistakes”.
But– who is to say that our past activities or actions were “mistakes”?
Don’t become a fossil
Don’t become a statue by looking at your past self. It seems that it is good that we (right now) are different than when we were babies, toddlers, or even children. There are some characteristics of the purity of our childhood (not being corrupted by the outside world) which are good, but ultimately it is far superior for us to have our adult minds.
So why romanticize our past selves?
Perhaps it comes from a sense of dissatisfaction with our present selves. Or maybe we’re bored with ourselves. Or perhaps we’re suffering right now and cannot bear the pain, and thus we seek refuge in the immutable past.
Newer is better.
But I say all growth comes from DISREGARDING/forgetting the past, and only looking ahead. To be excited for NEW sights, NEW experiences, NEW challenges, and to take yourself to an uber-height you have never witnessed before.
Never stop climbing higher!
ERIC