Monday Motivation: Stop fixating on that rearview mirror if you want to create a more positive future for yourself! Yes, we all make mistakes and it’s important to be honest with your shortcomings and learn from them. But if you spend too much time dwelling on the mistakes of the past, the people who have wronged you, and all of your failings, you will be setting up your actions to follow suit and create the same negative outcomes again.
Humans do not like cognitive dissonance. We don’t like when our thoughts don’t line up with our actions. And when we have to resolve discrepancy, the first thing we do is to bring our behaviors in line with our thinking. If you don’t believe you deserve better, you are unlikely to reach for more or might #selfsabotage your opportunities. If you dwell on your mistakes, you are like to make those same mistakes again, and then use that new outcome as “proof” that nothing is likely to change. This is not about thinking positively all the time - that type of strategy has its downfalls too. For one, it is unrealistic. And secondly, thinking positively without deeper #selfwork will feel unauthentic and unlikely to lead to a better you. I challenge you to forgive yourself for the #mistakes of the past. Recognize where you went wrong and learn from it. Accept that things could have been better, then stop looking in that rearview mirror. Instead, look ahead. Align your goals with your highest values, and create a better outcome next time around. What’s one past mistake you are willing to forgive yourself for? And what’s your best strategy to #refocus on the future?