Stop Looking Back, Move On

I see so many businesses that their past is holding them back and significantly affecting their potential. Often it is nothing actually happening to them right now, but more the distraction of looking back and not being fully focused on the plans and way forward. 

I have found that emotions and feelings of what happened in the past also have a detrimental effect on my success and restrict my efforts to move forward with my plans. It is important to reflect on and review the past and as I write this during the Covid crisis many readers will be doing just this. 

But I learned in my own businesses and now see with many of my clients that it is critical to use the example of the rear view mirror. We should only glance at what has just passed, but quickly remove our focus from the past and start looking ahead. 

I have also learned that when we look back our thoughts start to interpret things differently and we start to create a varying version of our path ahead. 

I want to share four things that I and my wise clients do.

Focus on the road ahead. 

The important word here is focus. The rear view mirror is in our vehicle for a reason and has a purpose but I think all of you will agree that if we looked continually in the rear mirror we would soon lose direction, control of our vehicle and crash. The same is true in our business. We should glance at the past and then quickly look ahead and focus mainly on the path ahead of us. Keep looking back and at best you will miss the turn. Learn the lessons, gain perspective and then look at our plans and road ahead towards success.

Stop looking for easy answers. 

We are surrounded by historic information that promises to be the next quick fix, ‘in five simple steps’. Knowledge is vital but if we continually search out easy answers rather than effective solutions then we become distracted. Do the answers clearly help us on the road ahead and are they proven? As in my prior article, if the road starts to get bumpy it normally means you are heading in the right direction. If the answers feel like work and effort, they will usually yield results.

Stay on your path. 

Now I have to admit I am the world’s worst at getting attracted by shiny objects, the magpie effect. You may also have people around you that question your route and destination. Any decision that you have made to change does not mean that people from your past have changed too. No matter what may distract you, people or things, you must be committed to growing, expanding and moving on to the next level. If you go off track, lift your eyes up and get back on the path as soon as possible.

Believe in yourself. 

If any of the naysayers tell you that you will not achieve your plans, just smile and keep going. You have to have faith and belief in yourself and in your potential. You know how hard you will work, how much effort and energy you have. You are emotionally connected to your destination. You should also surround yourself with people that believe in you and are supportive of your goals and objectives. These people will defend you rather than pull you down.

Here’s a beautiful story of the potato, egg and the coffee bean that is very relatable in life in how we deal with adversaries and troubles. When these three are being boiled in the water, it reacts differently from each other. When the potato is boiled, no matter how hard it is, it becomes soft and mushy. The egg, however, though at first fragile, when drenched in boiling water becomes hard. Lastly, the coffee bean, when placed in a very hot water, is created into something new. In this story, the boiling water represents the problems we face each day. The question is, which one are you? 

Take-aways or actions for reader:

• Remember it is important to know your numbers but only glance at that. Use them, learn quickly, make the changes and then refocus on the forward path.
• Surround yourself with people that move you forward and not those who are your anchors to the past and hold you back.
• If you have a behaviour or belief from the past that you know is holding you back, let it go quickly. Forgive the actions of others quickly too, it can become toxic if you do not.
• Carry out due diligence on an ‘easy’ or ‘quick-fix’ solution. It doesn’t always have to be hard but often if the promises sound too good to be true, they are.